The Exposed Truth
by Azaelia Silmarwen
Summary: [To be re-written]. When Harry and Dumbledore went to acquire the Horcrux, Harry never imagined that he would end up uncovering a dark family secret.
1. Captured

**DISCLAIMER:**** I DO NOT CLAIM OWNERSHIP OVER THE ORIGINAL COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL IN THIS STORY. THIS IS A NON-PROFIT FANDUB CREATED BY FANS, FOR FANS. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED, FAIR USE ONLY.**

**BLURB:** When Harry and Dumbledore went to acquire the Horcrux, Harry never imagined that he would end up uncovering a dark family secret.

**WARNINGS: **AU. This story contains some character bashing, substance abuse, occasional strong language, strong violence (torture), and sensitive topic/issue/theme.

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**CHAPTER ONE: CAPTURED**

Knowing that water couldn't magically be conjured into the goblet, Harry ran to the edge of the little island and, without hesitation, plunged the goblet into the cold, dark, still water. Once the goblet was full, he slowly withdrew it from the water, making sure not to waste any of the water. However, having disturbed the water, he had announced his presence to the creatures that had been peacefully floating beneath the water.

As Harry pulled away, a cold, wet hand reached out and grabbed his wrist. As a natural reflex, Harry gave a startled yelp and dropped the goblet. He then tried to pull away from the creature, but all he managed to do was allow himself to be pulled into the water.

With a jolt, he recognised what the creatures were; Inferi, corpses that had been bewitched to do Voldemort's bidding.

The moment he hit the water, more cold and slimy hands grabbed certain parts of his body, dragging him down to the dark depths. Harry desperately attempted to discharge himself from the unyielding grips with his bare hands. He failed miserably.

Knowing that he wasn't going to be able to hold his breath any longer, Harry frantically tried to reach for his wand, but the hands held him back.

Then, moments before losing the last of his breath, fire swept across the watery surface, while several fireballs charged uncomfortably close to Harry, scaring off the creatures. The moment they were gone, Harry madly swam to the surface. There he took long and grateful breaths, after splattering and gasping.

He then swarm to the island and pulled himself up onto the rough rocky surface. There he tried to get his breath. He wasn't too concerned about being dragged back underwater. He knew that he would be safe as long as Dumbledore kept the fire burning.

He was surprised, though, when the fire disappeared. He cautiously moved away from the water's edge, but no Inferi resurfaced.

'Thank you, Professor,' Harry said as he got to his feet. 'That was worse than when those Grindylows in the Black Lake had me.'

Harry absently ran his hand through his wet and mattered hair, before turning his gaze on Dumbledore. He frowned. Dumbledore looked as weak as ever. He was lying where Harry had left him, with his eyes closed.

Harry immediately tensed up. It was clear to him that Dumbledore hadn't saved him, but if he didn't save Harry, than who did.

Harry slowly turned and saw him. Voldemort was standing at the sink, looking down at the locket in his hands. He was reading a note that was inside the locket.

Harry immediately drew his wand and aimed it at his enemy. His eyes narrowed determinedly. Only his morals stopped him from attacking his seemingly distracted enemy. Harry watched as Voldemort's facial expressions became darker and flushed with fury. He gasped and rubbed his aching scar. He cursed his scar. He couldn't believe that he had once liked it.

'It would appear that your efforts here tonight were in vain, Potter,' Voldemort said, trying to keep his voice steady. 'Someone has already beaten you to the Horcrux.'

Voldemort turned his cold red eyes to Harry's determined face. He then smiled a cold, slightly amused smile at Harry's determination.

'I suggest that you hand over your wand and come with me,' he told Harry coldly. 'There is no escape and there is no one here for you to hide behind.'

'Never!' Harry declared defiantly. 'I'd rather die than go with you willingly!'

'That can be arranged,' Voldemort told him in his soft but deadly tone. He slowly withdrew his wand. 'Fortunately for you, I grudgingly need your help, which means I need you alive.'

'I'll never help you! So you might as well kill me and find someone else.'

'Believe me, Harry, I would, but only you can help me get what I want. And you will help me, whether you like it or not.'

Harry didn't lower his wand, which made Voldemort's smile grow even bigger. He had been hoping that the boy would give him a fight.

At first the two enemies stood there staring at each other, but then Harry attacked.

'_Expelliarmus_!' Harry shouted.

Voldemort blocked the spell easily, looking bored. He wished the boy would hurry up and learn not to use the same spell constantly. He was too predictable.

Resisting the urge to sigh, Voldemort send a more powerful spell at the boy. Harry only just managed to dodge the spell. He fell painfully onto one of the sharp rocks, close to the water's edge. Voldemort was upon him at once.

'_Stupefy_!' Harry shouted as he stumbled to his feet.

Voldemort simply redirected the spell back at the boy, sending him to the ground.

'_Crucio_!'

Just as it was two years ago, Harry twisted on the ground, screaming as the familiar agonising pain coursed through his body; the familiar feeling of his bones being on fire.

And then the pain stopped. Harry laid there, panting on the ground, before glaring up at Voldemort, who was now standing over him.

'I said that I wanted you alive, but I said nothing about not hurting you,' Voldemort said coldly.

Harry glared at him.

'_Crucio_!'

Once more Harry withered on the ground screaming. Voldemort held the spell for roughly a minute, before ending it. To Harry, though, it had felt more like an hour.

As the boy panted, Voldemort gracefully picked up Harry's wand, before walking over to Dumbledore, who was still unconscious.

'How can a man with so much power be reduced to something so pathetic?' he muttered to himself as Harry got to his feet, clutching his side. He was sure that he would bruise.

Disgusted, Voldemort took Dumbledore's wand and pocketed it next to Harry's. He then revived the unconscious wizard. He waited impatiently as Dumbledore's eyes slowly opened and took in the situation.

'Tom!' he gasped. He then looked wildly around. 'Where's Harry?'

'I'm here,' Harry said as he staggered over to his headmaster. He knelt down next to him, holding his side.

'Are you alright, my boy?' Dumbledore asked Harry, temporarily ignoring Voldemort. His blue eyes were full of concern as he looked at Harry closely.

'I'm fine,' Harry lied. He didn't know why he bothered lying for he knew that both Voldemort and Dumbledore could see right through his lies.

Harry then looked directly up at Voldemort, a furious glare plastered to his face.

'What do you plan to do, Tom?' Dumbledore questioned Voldemort calmly, but he wasn't calm on the inside. Inside he was beyond worried and was furiously trying to think of a plan, but the situation was rather bleak.

'I thought it be obvious, Dumbledore,' Voldemort hissed. 'Did you honestly believe that I wouldn't notice you hunting my Horcruxes? Did you think that I would just turn a blind eye? If so you have become seriously senile in your old age.'

'Then why are we still alive?' Harry asked suspiciously. 'Why not kill us now?'

'Because I want to know how many you have destroyed and who else knows about them,' Voldemort replied, his red eyes turning to Harry's face. 'And while I've got you, I might as well find out some other information.'

'You should just kill us here then,' Harry informed the older wizard, ''cause we'll never tell you anything.'

'Oh, I don't expect you to say anything, Harry,' Voldemort said with a twisted smile. 'It's your beloved headmaster that will be doing all the talking. Now get in the boat.'

'No,' Harry said firmly.

Before Voldemort could retort, Dumbledore spoke.

'Just do as he says, Harry,' he said softly.

Harry looked sharply at Dumbledore. He couldn't believe what he had just heard.

'But, Professor...'

'Don't argue, Harry,' Dumbledore said firmly. 'Arguing with him will achieve nothing, except cause you a lot of unnecessary pain and grief.'

'But...'

'Harry.'

Harry looked deep into Dumbledore's eyes, before looking at Voldemort, whose expression was unreadable.

'Fine,' he muttered reluctantly. This went against everything he believed, but Dumbledore thought this was for the best, and he trusted Dumbledore's judgement.

Sighing, he helped Dumbledore to his feet and into the small boat that had taken them to the island. During this time he kept throwing suspicious looks at Voldemort, who was calmly standing behind him watching. Twice he nearly ended up falling back into the water.

Once Dumbledore was safely in the boat, Harry then climbed in, followed by Voldemort. Once they were all safely and uncomfortably inside the boat, Voldemort tapped it with his wand. This resulted in them slowly, yet steadily, moving back to the shore. It was an uncomfortable journey, to say the least. It was worse than when they travelled to the island. The entire time Harry's scar kept prickling from the closeness to Voldemort. Then there was the limited amount of space. Harry was almost sitting in Voldemort's lap!

When they arrived at the other end, Harry shot Voldemort a quick look, before helping Dumbledore out of the boat. Once out of the boat, they looked at Voldemort, who merely motioned for them to keep moving with his wand.

In silence they made their way to the exit. When they got there, Harry noticed that the barrier had resealed itself. Dumbledore, with no prompting from Voldemort, withdrew the dagger he had used to cut his hand to enter.

Upon withdrawing said dagger, Voldemort suddenly grabbed Harry's shoulder and pulled him almost against him. Harry immediately attempted to pull away, but he stopped when the tip of Voldemort's wand was pushed into the side of his neck. Instead, he scrunched up his eyes and tried to ignore the pain from his scar.

'What are you doing?' Dumbledore asked sharply, pausing in the act of cutting himself.

'I cannot risk having you two Apparating way once we are out of the cave, now can I?' Voldemort replied, digging the wand a little deeper into Harry's neck. 'I know that you won't Apparate away without Potter. Now open the barrier!'

After taking in the wand pressing into the side of Harry's neck, Dumbledore did as Voldemort asked. One wrong move could end severely for Harry.

With the barrier removed once more, the trio walked to the cave exit. During this time, the only sounds that could be heard were their footsteps on the damp ground, the sound of the wind howling through the cave, and the waves hitting the cave walls and banks.

When they arrived at the cave exit, Dumbledore turned to face Voldemort.

'Let the boy go, Tom,' he tried to negotiate. 'I will tell you whatever you want to know, just let the boy go. He doesn't know anything.'

'Yet he knows about my Horcruxes,' Voldemort said pointedly, 'and maybe more. The only way I'll be letting this boy go is when he's dead!'

'He's just a boy, Tom.'

'A boy who has managed to foil a lot of my plans and managed to get some of my best Death Eaters imprisoned in Azkaban. Now take Potter's arm so I can Apparate us away!'

Harry let out a reluctant gasp of pain as his scar gave a nasty throb as he felt Voldemort's temper rise. Both men looked at him. Dumbledore quickly took hold of Harry's arm. He wanted to try and minimise some of the pain Voldemort would no doubt inflict on the boy.

The moment Voldemort saw that Dumbledore had a secure grip on Harry's arm, he Apparated them away to one of his hideouts. Once they were there, Voldemort roughly pushed Harry away from him. This resulted in him falling to the floor, dragging Dumbledore down with him as he had automatically grabbed onto him to prevent himself from falling. There was a burst of laugh at this mishap.

Feeling his temper rise, Harry took in his surroundings. He was in a large room full of Death Eaters, all of which were wearing their masks and traditional black robes. All of them were either laughing or eagerly trying to get a better look at Dumbledore and Harry.

Having established that his only ally was Dumbledore, Harry took in the room. It was large, but rather plain. In fact, it reminded him of the interior of the Shrieking Shack. There were several stained windows on the walls, but they all appeared to be barred. There was no chance of escape.

Harry then realised that Dumbledore was trying to get to his feet. He hurriedly helped him, before turning to glare at Voldemort, who had been watching them.

'Crabbe! Take Dumbledore down to the cellar and lock him up!' Voldemort eventually ordered as the laughter subsided. 'Make sure he can't escape.'

'Yes, my Lord,' Crabbe replied with a bow, before drawing his wand and painfully shoving it into Dumbledore's back, telling him to walk.

Harry, Voldemort and the Death Eaters all watched as Dumbledore was led out of the room. Once he was gone, Harry turned his attention to Voldemort, while everyone else looked at him. He would be a fool if he said that he wasn't scared. He was. He had no idea what was going to happen, but he could assume that he would not like it.

'What do you plan to do with Potter, my Lord?' Nagini hissed as she slithered towards Voldemort. 'Can I eat him?'

Harry couldn't help by tense up at that. He couldn't think of a worse way to go... being crushed and eaten by a snake... delightful.

Unfortunately, Voldemort saw Harry's reaction and found it rather amusing. However, he did not comment on it.

'No, Nagini, I need him alive,' replied Voldemort, obviously speaking in Parseltongue, 'but when I no longer need him, you may have him.'

Harry shuddered instinctively. At least he knew he now had that to look forward to.

'Goyle!' Voldemort barked suddenly. 'Take Potter to that empty bedroom upstairs and tie him up. I want him secure! If he escapes, you shall be punished severely. Do you understand?'

'Yes, my Lord!' Just like Crabbe, Goyle bowed to Voldemort when he said this, before going over to Harry, wand drawn.

'Get moving,' he ordered.

Harry didn't move right away. Instead, he merely glared at Goyle, wondering if he should go without a fight like Dumbledore had.

'I said move!' Goyle said angrily.

'You forgot the magic word,' Harry replied irritably, but he nevertheless obeyed Goyle's order.

Dumbledore had said to do as they said, so he would continue to do so until his headmaster said otherwise. Harry assumed that Dumbledore has a greater grasp on the situation than he did. He assumed that Dumbledore had a plan and he didn't want to mess it up.

Three floors up; Harry was finally led into a plain, dusty bedroom. It was practically empty, apart from a broken chest of draws and a half broken bed frame.

Inside the room, Goyle dragged Harry over to the bed frame and forced him to sit on the ground, against one of the legs. He then conjured some rope, which he used to tie Harry up. He grabbed Harry's hands and tied them behind his back with the bed-leg in between.

Once he was happy that Harry couldn't free his hands, he then took the remaining rope and bounded Harry's feet together.

'Ouch!' Harry couldn't help by gasp. They the rope was tied too tightly.

Now bounded with no chance of loosening the ropes or getting free, Goyle picked up a nearby piece of mouldy fabric and tried to gag Harry. He turned his face away and shut his mouth tightly to avoid the foul material being put into his mouth.

Goyle tried several times to get it into Harry's mouth, but Harry refused to open.

'Open your mouth so I can put this in!' he growled.

'There is no way I'm letting you put that filthy thing in my mouth,' Harry declared, watching the gag closely. He was prepared to shut his mouth at a moment's notice. 'Why do I even need it?'

'Can't have you calling out for help now, can we?'

Harry stared at Goyle. He now knew where Gregory Goyle got his brains from.

'Who would I be calling out to?' Harry questioned. 'And why would I be yelling out? I don't even know where I am!'

Goyle thought over what Harry had said. He must have decided that it made sense, for he threw away the gag and left the room without another word. Harry heard him lock the door behind him. Now all he could do was wait and see what was to befall him.

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**Azaelia Silmarwen Facebook page:** link on profile  
**Written:** 8 September 2013  
**Updated:** N/A**  
Beta:** BETA WANTED


	2. Information

**CHAPTER TWO: INFORMATION**

Harry awoke abruptly the next morning when he heard the sound of someone unlocking the door. He had slept restlessly last night. At first he had tried to stay awake, fearing that if he fell asleep Voldemort would do something to him, but eventually the need for sleep became too much. However, he kept waking every hour and whenever he heard a noise. That meant that he was exhausted and would also mean that he was bound to be irritable.

The door opened and Harry watched as a man, who would have been in his thirties, entered the room. At first, due to his sleep deprived eyes, he thought that it was Tom Riddle walking towards him, but he soon saw that it wasn't true. He could see some distinct differences. He didn't have Tom Riddle's black hair, but rather a dark brown. His eyes were also a different colour; they were a dark green instead of hazel. Then there were a few facial expression differences.

Harry watched the man warily. Something about him told him that this was no ordinary Death Eater. This man had a certain power aura around him. It was an aura that reminded Harry of Voldemort.

'Did you sleep well, Potter?' the man asked with a mocking caring tone.

Harry didn't answer. He could tell that the man knew that he hadn't slept well. He wasn't going to play along.

'What? No sarcastic reply?'

Harry glared at him in response.

Chuckling, the man untied his legs, before looking at Harry's hands. At first he just stared at them thoughtfully, before drawing his wand and levitating the bed. With the bed levitating, the man was able to pull Harry way from the bed without untying his hands. Harry wasn't happy about this. His wrists, arms and shoulders were killing him. He desperately needed to stretch.

The man flicked his wand again and the bed fell back down. He then roughly grabbed Harry's arm and dragged him to his feet. He led Harry out of the room and down to the cellar.

Harry shivered as he entered the cellar. It was damp and cold down there. At the far end of the cellar, he saw Dumbledore chained to the wall. Harry wanted to call out to him, but the man warningly squeezed his arm. Harry figured it would be best to remain silent.

Voldemort was also down there, waiting. Harry couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear. Whatever was to come, he knew he wouldn't like it.

He quickly looked at Dumbledore and saw that he didn't look any better from the last time he had seen him. In fact, he looked worse. This shouldn't have surprised Harry. After all, he had been down in this cold cellar all night. His night would have been worse than Harry's.

'Good morning, Harry,' Voldemort greeted with one of his cold smiles. 'Sleep well?'

Harry glared at him, determined to keep his temper in check. His temper wouldn't do him any good here.

'Quiet this morning,' Voldemort commented mildly.

'I like him better when he's silent,' the man holding him informed Voldemort.

Harry frowned at this comment. How would the man know what he was like when he spoke? He had never met the man before.

'I gather you remember my son?' Voldemort said, addressing Dumbledore.

'How could I forget?' Dumbledore replied tiredly. 'How are you doing, Sanaro?'

'I'm doing better than you,' Sanaro replied, taking in Dumbledore's appearance. His eyes lingered on his dead hand.

'One day you may look like me, Sanaro,' Dumbledore said lightly. 'No one can remain young forever.'

During this exchange, Voldemort had been watching Harry. He had heard the boy gasp when he had introduced Sanaro. Clearly Dumbledore hadn't told the boy about him.

'I see that you have failed to inform Harry about Sanaro's existence, Dumbledore,' Voldemort said as Sanaro force Harry down to his knees.

'Why didn't you tell me?' Harry asked Dumbledore irritably.

If he was to fight Voldemort, surely he had the right to know about a son. What if he had succeeded in defeating Voldemort? Surely if would have been important to tell him about the son, so he would be prepared for revenge.

'I did not believe it was important for you to know,' replied Dumbledore. 'You had enough on your shoulders.'

'Not important? How could it not be important?' Harry demanded.

'I'm actually insulted that you never informed the _Chosen One_ about me,' Sanaro said sarcastically.

'Enough of this ideal chatter,' Voldemort said suddenly. 'I want answers and I want them now. You are going to give me the answers, Dumbledore. If you don't... _Crucio_!'

Harry screamed as the spell hit him. Thankfully, Voldemort didn't hold it very long.

'Is that clear?' Voldemort continued. 'You answer and Potter won't be hurt, but if you refuse... we'll see how long Potter can take the Cruciatus Curse.'

'I understand,' Dumbledore said quietly.

'No! Professor!' Harry cried. 'Don't tell him anything! Do not let him use me against you! He's just going to hurt me anyway!'

'Silence!' Voldemort hissed, storming over to Harry and placing his hand on his scar.

To Harry, this was nearly as bad as the Cruciatus Curse. It hurt like hell.

When Voldemort believed that Harry had learnt his lesson, he removed his hand.

'You say that now, but trust me, Harry; if Dumbledore doesn't answer my questions, you will be begging me to stop,' he hissed in Harry's ear, before going over to Dumbledore.

'How many of my Horcruxes have been destroyed?' Voldemort demanded.

Dumbledore's eyes flickered to Harry, who was staring up at him, shaking his head, before looking back at Voldemort. He didn't see any harm in answering this question. Voldemort could easily find it out for himself if he wanted to.

'Two,' replied Dumbledore. 'Your diary and your grandfather's ring.'

'How did you destroy them?' Voldemort hissed.

'Basilisk venom.'

'I thought as much,' Voldemort muttered. 'You were right, Sanaro.'

Harry had no idea what that comment meant, but he didn't care. He just wanted to get this over and done with.

'How many do you know of?'

'I have my theories that you made seven in total.'

'Does anyone else know about them?'

Harry instantly looked down at the ground. This question's answer would put Hermione and Ron in danger.

'I only told Harry, who swore not to tell anyone.'

'But did Potter keep that vow?' Sanaro asked suddenly.

He knelt down next to Harry, who refused to meet his eyes. He kept his head bowed.

'Look me in the eyes, boy!' Sanaro ordered.

Harry grudgingly did so. If he didn't, they would know that he had, and if he did, they would learn that he had. Either way, they would know.

Sanaro looked Harry straight into his eyes, and smiled. The smile didn't reach his eyes.

'He has,' Sanaro told his father. 'He probably told Granger and Weasley.'

'Friends?'

'Yes. A Muggle-born and Pureblood.'

'Bad idea, Harry,' Voldemort said, before turning his attention back to Dumbledore. 'Where is the Order of the Phoenix's headquarters?'

'Don't tell him!' Harry said at once. If Voldemort learnt this, then the Order would be doomed and the path to taking over the wizarding world would basically be clear.

Dumbledore looked torn between protecting Harry and protecting the Order members.

'Do you really want to inflict pain on one of your students, Dumbledore?' Voldemort hissed, his eyes gleaming.

Dumbledore looked away. He couldn't risk the destruction of the Order of the Phoenix. They were one of the barriers protecting the world.

Seeing that Dumbledore wasn't going to speak any time soon, Voldemort turned to face Harry. He had to admit that the boy impressed him. Instead of cowering, like most of his Death Eaters did, he squared his shoulders and raised his head determinedly. Only his eyes showed how much he dreaded what was about to come.

Voldemort pointed his wand down at the boy, whose gaze remained locked. Harry only broke eye contact when the curse hit him. He scrunched up his eyes as he screamed. A part of him was silently begging Dumbledore just to tell Voldemort what he wanted to know, while another part prayed that he wouldn't.

Ten minutes later, Harry was still under the curse and was beginning to lose his strength. Then, the pain was gone. Sobbing on the slimy floor, Harry managed to look up at Voldemort. Had Dumbledore told him? If he did, Harry must have been screaming too loud to hear him. No. Harry looked closer at Voldemort's face and could see that he was furious. The throbbing in Harry's scar confirmed this observation. Dumbledore hadn't told him anything, so why did Voldemort stop?

'You surprise me, Dumbledore,' Harry heard Voldemort saying. 'I would have thought for sure that you would have told me everything. See that, Potter. Dumbledore doesn't care for you as much as we all thought.'

'That doesn't prove any-thing,' Harry managed to choke out. 'One can-not risk the lives of many for one!'

'Naive boy,' Sanaro muttered behind him.

Harry didn't understand this comment. Why was he being naive?

'I'll come back to that question then,' Voldemort muttered, before asking Dumbledore another question about the Order.

Again, Dumbledore didn't answer. So yet again, Harry was screaming, but his screams weren't as loud. He didn't have enough energy to scream loudly anymore. He was grateful that Voldemort only had him under for five minutes this time.

For an hour this continued, but Dumbledore wouldn't answer anymore questions. The information Voldemort now wanted could change the tides of the war.

'Sanaro, take Harry back to his room,' Harry heard Voldemort say quietly. 'I don't think he can take anymore, and Dumbledore doesn't appear to want to talk to us anymore either. We'll continue tomorrow.'

'Yes, Father,' replied Sanaro.

Harry, too weak to fight, let alone walk, silently allowed Sanaro to lift him onto a conjured stretcher. He was most grateful when the Dark Lord's son removed the rope tying his hands behind his back. His wrists were now red raw. He had never been in so much pain. His treatment at the Dursleys was lovingly compared to what he had just gone through.

When they arrived back at his "room", Sanaro merely placed him on the floor, before walking away and locking the door again. This time, Harry had no trouble falling asleep.

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**Azaelia Silmarwen Facebook page:** link on profile  
**Written:** 9 September 2013  
**Updated:** N/A**  
Beta:** BETA WANTED

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT CLAIM OWNERSHIP OVER THE ORIGINAL COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL IN THIS STORY. THIS IS A NON-PROFIT FANDUB CREATED BY FANS, FOR FANS. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED, FAIR USE ONLY.**


	3. Escape

**CHAPTER THREE: ESCAPE**

Harry jumped violently awake when his prison door was slammed open, the early hours of next morning. Voldemort was standing there, shaking with anger. Harry automatically drew away. He had never seen Voldemort so angry before. Clearly something big must have happened.

Behind Voldemort Harry saw Sanaro, who was expressionless. Harry didn't know what he was thinking or feeling, which unsettled him. He wished he could see his emotions.

'He didn't take Potter with him,' Sanaro muttered thoughtfully, entering the room and calmly walking over to Harry.

Harry weakly tried to move away, but he couldn't. He was still feeling the effects of the Cruciatus Curse and Voldemort's anger wasn't helping his scar.

'Clearly he doesn't care for the boy as much as we thought,' Sanaro continued, kneeling down next to Harry and looking at him thoughtfully.

'Maybe,' Voldemort muttered bitterly.

'Maybe? What other reason could there be?'

'Maybe he didn't want to risk being captured again? Maybe he thought it would be best if he escaped and then came back with his Order to save the boy? Or maybe he couldn't risk taking the boy because of how weak he is?'

'I doubt he even came near the boy,' Sanaro said, turning to face his father. 'I don't think Potter even knows what we are talking about, though he may have guessed. No. He just left the boy for dead. If he did care, he wouldn't have left without him.'

Harry stared at them. Now that his brain was awake, he started to make sense of what they were saying. From what he could understand, he assumed that Dumbledore had somehow managed to escape last night and had left him behind.

'Dumbledore's gone?' Harry asked quietly.

'Obviously,' Voldemort growled.

Harry looked down at the floor. Dumbledore had left without him. This truth cut through him like a sharp knife being stabbed into his heart. He couldn't believe it. He would have never left him behind, so why did he leave him at Voldemort's mercy? Harry thought that he cared about him, but clearly he was wrong. He had never felt so betrayed.

'What do we do now?' Sanaro asked his father.

'I doubt Dumbledore will come back for the boy,' Voldemort muttered, staring down at Harry's vulnerable figure, 'but that doesn't mean that he won't return to this place with the Order. We'll go to one of our other hideouts and figure out our next move there.'

'What about Potter?'

'Just give him to Nagini.' Voldemort shrugged. 'I have no more use for him.'

Harry didn't even react to this comment. He had known this would be coming and he knew that he wasn't strong enough to fight. He could only hope that he would give Nagini a stomach-ache or something.

'Father, he's only a boy,' Sanaro said quietly, surprising Harry. It actually sounded as though Sanaro had a heart. 'He is powerful too. You saw him yesterday. He was being tortured and never begged once. Not a single one of your Death Eaters would be able to do that. It is clear that he has been manipulated by Dumbledore. Why not give him a chance to join us?'

Voldemort looked down at Harry again, who was staring at Sanaro. His face showed nothing but surprise, while his eyes showed gratitude and relief. Maybe the boy could be coaxed into joining them, especially if Sanaro could gain the boy's trust. As it was, the boy already felt something towards his son. What did he have to lose?

'Fine,' Voldemort said eventually, attempting to sound indifferent. 'But he is your responsibility. I will _not_ be babysitting him.'

'And what am I supposed to do when I'm on missions?' Sanaro questioned. 'If I take him with me, Dumbledore will see through my spy disguise at once!'

'Then Nagini can look after him.'

'Nagini? Father, if we let her babysit, we might as well give Potter to her now for breakfast!'

'Then what do you expect me to do with him?'

'I'm sure Narcissa Malfoy could look after him.'

'Absolutely not! The last time I trusted a Malfoy with something valuable, it ended up being destroyed!'

'You are unfairly judging her based on Lucius' actions,' Sanaro stated. 'Hasn't Draco proven that you can trust the Malfoys? Did he not help your Death Eaters into Hogwarts? Just give them a chance to redeem themselves.'

Voldemort didn't answer; instead he stormed out of the room, yelling out orders.

'I'll take that as a yes,' Sanaro muttered, absently pulling Harry to his feet.

'Why are you helping me?' Harry asked suspiciously as he was led from the room. 'You can't serious believe that I will join Vold – ouch!'

Sanaro had smacked him over the head.

'Don't say his name!' he hissed. 'If you need to call him something, call him the Dark Lord.'

'He never corrects me when I say his name!' Harry said stubbornly, rubbing the back of his head.

'So you think,' Sanaro muttered.

'You never answered my question.'

'You never finished your question.'

Harry glared up at Sanaro. He didn't appreciate being mocked.

'I don't know,' Sanaro eventually answered. 'I am in two minds about it. I do believe that with the right… persuasion you might consider joining us.'

'There's nothing on earth that could persuaded me!' Harry declared stubbornly.

'Not even the betrayal of your manipulative headmaster?' Sanaro questioned innocently.

'Professor Dumbledore isn't manipulative and he hasn't betrayed me!' Harry snapped.

'Are you quite sure about that? Didn't he betray your trust last year when he wouldn't speak to you or tell you about the prophecy?'

'He was only doing that for my own protect – hang on! How do you know about that?' Harry asked suspiciously.

'I'm a spy, Potter,' Sanaro informed the boy. 'It is my job to find out these things.'

'So that's how you assist Vol – er – your father? By spying on the Order of the Phoenix?'

'You're smarter than you look.' This insulting statement was in fact a confirmation of what Harry was asking.

Biting down a retort, Harry asked, 'But Dumbledore knows who you are! How can you spy on someone who recognises you?'

'There are ways to disguise one's self, you foolish boy.'

Harry mentally kicked himself. Of course Sanaro would have been using a disguise. Question now was who did the Order know him as?

'Have we met before?' Harry suddenly demanded.

'Unfortunately, yes.' Sanaro sighed as he stopped before a fireplace. 'We will be Flooing to Malfoy Manor where you will be staying for now on, unless my father decides to move you.'

'Or kills me,' Harry muttered.

'Behave and you won't give him any reason to,' Sanaro said as he grabbed a container of Floo power. 'If you stay away from him and don't annoy him, he'll leave you alone.'

'I doubt it,' Harry muttered, before a plan appeared inside his head; a plan of escape.

Sanaro was giving him the perfect opportunity to escape, using the Floo. Assuming that they would be going separately, Harry could easily say any location before the Dark Lord's son had any chance to stop him. But where should he go? The Burrow? No, that was too obvious and it would put the Weasleys in danger. Grimmauld Place? Definitely not. The Leaky Cauldron? Maybe. While it was bound to be crowded, Harry doubt that would save him. Sanaro would have Death Eaters swarming the joint in minutes. Diagon Alley? The same problem would happen. So where should he go?

In the end, Harry decided to go to Diagon Alley. It would be crowded and the Death Eaters wouldn't know the exact fireplace he would be getting out at, not to mention it would take Sanaro a while to get hold of some Death Eaters. Once he was there, he could Apparate to Hogsmeade, praying that he didn't splinch himself in the process. From Hogsmeade, he could run to the castle, hoping that he could somehow get inside passed the protective barriers.

'You go first,' Sanaro ordered, holding the opened container out to Harry.

'Sure,' Harry said with a casual shrug of his shoulders, desperately trying not to smile at Sanaro's foolishness. He was just like his father; underestimating him.

Harry carefully took a handful of the grey ash-like substance and walked into the fireplace, there he turned and faced Sanaro with a triumphant smile.

'Diagon Alley!'

As the green flames surrounded him, he saw Sanaro's eyes widen with surprise, before he cursed and made a lung at Harry, but he was too slow.

Harry ended up getting ungracefully out at Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment. He wondered if he would ever get the hang of Floo travel.

He then ended up casually walking onto the not so crowded, scared streets of Diagon Alley, before Apparating away to Hogsmeade. He was relieved when he saw that he had done it perfectly and he wasn't missing anything. At least as far as he could tell he wasn't missing anything.

Harry then ran for the castle, only to break out into a broad smile when he saw a familiar figure walking ahead of him.

'Hagrid!' he yelled out to his friend.

Hagrid stopped and sharply turned. Judging by the look on Hagrid's face, Harry could tell that he was relieved to see him.

'Harry!' Hagrid called back, hurrying over to the sixteen year old. 'Thank goodness yer alright! We've been so worried!'

He then proceeded to embrace Harry in one of his rib shattering hugs, but Harry didn't care. He was safe and no longer a prisoner.

'Come, let's get yeh back to the castle,' Hagrid said as he let Harry stumble away.

'Good idea,' Harry agreed as he shivered in the cold.

'Are yeh alright, Harry?' Hagrid questioned; concern evident in his dark eyes.

'I'll be fine, Hagrid,' Harry said confidently. 'I just need some sleep.'

Hagrid didn't look convinced, but he dropped it for the time being. He knew that Dumbledore and many other people would be asking, so he would find out later. All he cared about was the fact his young friend was safely at home again.

On the journey to the castle, Harry was tense and jumpy, half expecting Death Eaters to appear and attack them, but once they were safely inside the school grounds, Harry visibly relaxed.

As Hagrid and Harry walked through the halls towards Dumbledore's office, many students stopped and looked at them. In particular Harry. Many had heard the rumours about how Dumbledore and Harry had been captured by Voldemort. They were admittedly surprised to see him alive, but they could see that he hadn't gotten away unharmed. The signs of extreme torture were evident on Harry's tired face and weary body.

Those who were friends with Harry hurried over to see if he was alright. Again, Harry smiled at them and said that he was fine, even if he was exhausted.

'Toffee Éclair,' Hagrid said when they arrived at the entrance to Dumbledore's office.

At the sound of the password, the gargoyle leapt aside to reveal the hidden staircase leading upwards. Hagrid motioned for Harry to begin climbing. Harry did so, barely aware that Hagrid was following him. In his mind he was thinking about what Sanaro said about Dumbledore leaving him behind and if he truly cared. Was what he said true? Did he just pretend to care? Would he be disappointed to see Harry alive and before him, or would he be relieved and happy, giving him a sincere apology for leaving him behind? Well, he was about to find out.

At Dumbledore's office door, Harry hesitated, mentally preparing himself for the worse scenario. Hagrid, of course, didn't notice this hesitation. He casually reached forward, knocked on the door and entered when they heard a tired, 'Come in.'

Hagrid opened the door and lightly pushed the still hesitant Harry inside.

Inside Harry saw Dumbledore slumped warily in his chair behind his desk with Madam Pomfrey hovering over him as she checked his health. McGonagall, Flitwick, Moody, and Remus were also there. They had all been in a deep conversation, but now they were staring at Harry, registering to what they were seeing.

'Harry!' Remus exclaimed, leaping to his feet, sounding deeply relieved. 'Thank god!'

Harry smiled slightly at his old professor, before glancing at McGonagall and Flitwick's relieved faces. Moody's scarred face was unreadable, while Dumbledore looked nothing short of surprised. Harry looked warily at him. This wasn't the worse scenario Harry had pictured, but it wasn't the best either.

However, moments later, Dumbledore's shock turned to relief as he smiled one of his grandfatherly smiles at Harry.

'Harry, my boy!' he said, his eyes looking suspiciously wet now. 'I am relieved to see that you're alright, but how did you escape?'

'Sanaro was going to have me Floo to Malfoy Manor,' Harry explained. 'So when I got hold of the Floo powder I travelled to Diagon Alley, before Apparating to Hogsmeade. There I headed for the castle and met Hagrid.'

'Why was Voldemort having you transferred to Malfoy Manor?' Moody questioned suspiciously, exchanging a look with Dumbledore.

'Sanaro convinced him to spare my life,' replied Harry. 'He wanted to try to convince me to join them, even though I told him I wouldn't.'

'Do you know why Sanaro wanted you to join them?' Dumbledore asked sharply.

'No, he never elaborated, but does it really matter why?'

'Sanaro has never tried to recruit one of his father's enemies before,' Dumbledore said thoughtfully. 'His heart is as cold as his father's.'

'Really? He seemed more human to me than Voldemort,' Harry disagreed. 'He seems to be more thoughtful and, I don't know, less evil.'

'He was probably acting to get you to lower your guard,' Moody growled. 'That man is destined to be the next Dark Lord!'

'Are you saying that Voldemort has a son?' Remus looked shocked.

'Scary, isn't it?' said Harry. 'I can't believe Voldemort is a father. I feel sorry for the woman he slept with.'

'Harry, I suggest that you go to the hospital wing with Madam Pomfrey and get some rest,' Dumbledore said suddenly. 'You have been through a great ordeal and need to be seen to.'

'Yes, sir,' Harry muttered, turning to leave. While Dumbledore stated it as a suggestion, Harry knew that it was really an order.

'And Harry,' Dumbledore said as Harry was about to leave.

Harry turned to face him.

'Sir?'

'I am sorry that I left you there.'

Harry stared at Dumbledore for a moment. While his tone sounded sincere, his eyes said something else.

'It's okay, sir,' Harry said eventually. 'I understand why you did it.'

Harry then left the room with Madam Pomfrey wondering if Dumbledore's apology was in fact sincere.

* * *

**Azaelia Silmarwen Facebook page:** link on profile  
**Written:** 1 October 2013  
**Updated:** N/A**  
Beta:** BETA WANTED

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT CLAIM OWNERSHIP OVER THE ORIGINAL COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL IN THIS STORY. THIS IS A NON-PROFIT FANDUB CREATED BY FANS, FOR FANS. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED, FAIR USE ONLY.**


	4. Revelation

**CHAPTER FOUR: REVELATION**

Madam Pomfrey and Harry walked to the hospital wing in silence. Madam Pomfrey seemed to notice that Harry was lost in his own thoughts and didn't want to speak. That was one of the many aspects that he liked about her. She always seemed to be able to understand him. However, he did notice that she was constantly glancing at him, evidently worried. Not that he was surprised. He knew that she could see exactly how bad his condition was.

When they arrived in the empty hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey led Harry over to a bed at the very end of the wing. She then made him sit down as she began to check him over. Once she was finished, she walked off leaving Harry to change into some pyjamas. When she returned, Harry saw that she had two potions with her.

'Here we go,' she said, pouring the first one into a goblet. She then handed it to Harry.

'What is it?' Harry asked warily as he accepted it, before hesitantly sniffing it. It smelt horrible.

'It is a potion to help with the after effects of the Cruciatus Curse,' she said lightly.

'Why do all these potions smell or taste horrible?' Harry grumbled, before pinching his nose and choking down the foul liquid. Thankfully it didn't taste as bad as the Polyjuice Potion or Skele Growth potion.

Gagging, Harry handed the empty goblet back to Madam Pomfrey in which she poured the second potion.

'This one's just a mild sleeping potion to help you rest more soundly,' she said, handing it back to her patient.

Thankfully, this one tasted like regular Muggle cough mixture. It was a taste that Harry actually liked.

Due to his extreme exhaustion, the potion didn't take that long to take effect. In seconds Harry was fast asleep.

Harry awoke late the next day to find Hermione and Ron sitting at his bedside.

'Ron? Hermione?' Harry groaned as he sat up.

'Hey, mate,' said Ron.

'How – how are you feeling?' Hermione asked with her voice thick with emotion.

'Better than I was before,' Harry answered with a yawn. 'How long have I been asleep?'

'Roughly a day,' Ron answered. 'You gave us a right fright. We didn't think that we would see you again.'

'I didn't think that I would see you two again either,' Harry admitted. 'I probably wouldn't have either if Sanaro hadn't convinced Voldemort to spare me.'

'Who's Sanaro?' Ron questioned blankly, looking over at Hermione, but she was mirroring his confusion.

'Voldemort's son. Shocking, I know.'

'That's putting it mildly,' Ron said somewhat faintly. 'So it's only a matter of time before we have two Dark Lords running around.'

'Not necessarily,' Hermione said thoughtfully. 'He did have his father spare Harry's life, so he can't be all bad.'

'He only had me spared so he could try and get me to join them,' Harry told her bluntly. 'He's manipulative. He even tried to turn me against Dumbledore!'

'How?' Ron questioned.

'He was trying to convince me that Dumbledore didn't care about me because he left me to die while he escaped.'

'That's stupid! Of course Dumbledore cares about you! You're his favourite student!'

'Then why did he leave Harry behind?' Hermione demanded with an angry sniff. 'If it wasn't for Sanaro, Harry would be dead right now and all because Dumbledore abandoned him! How hard could it have been to free Harry too?'

'Hermione, Dumbledore did the right thing,' Harry told her softly. 'Besides, it would have been difficult for him to save me too. He was trapped in the cellar while I was imprisoned upstairs.'

'How on earth did he do the right thing?' Hermione almost screeched. 'He left you there to die! He abandoned you, Harry! The right thing would have been to save you too!'

'Dumbledore's a powerful and mighty leader,' Harry argued. 'If he had been killed, then it would only be a matter of time until the wizarding world bowed to Voldemort's rule. Going for me would have been like handing Voldemort the keys to the city.'

'And yet Dumbledore could die tomorrow from old age. You are meant to be the only one who can defeat him, Harry! Or have you already forgotten the prophecy! I'm sorry, Harry, but there's nothing you can say that can convince me otherwise!'

'What matters is that Harry is alive and well,' Ron said quickly, hoping to end the argument. 'Though he should have taken the Felix Felicis, like we said he should. It might have prevented this conversation from ever happening.'

'Guys, I don't regret not taking the potion,' Harry said with a slight impatient note in his tone. 'Besides, don't people always say that things happen for a reason? If Dumbledore and I hadn't been capture, I probably would have never found out about Sanaro, until he came looking for revenge if I ever defeated Voldemort.'

'Good point,' Ron agreed, while Hermione merely pursed her lips.

'Listen, can one of you get a message to Dumbledore for me? Can you tell him that Voldemort has a spy within the Order of the Phoenix?'

'Isn't Snape the only spy You-Know-Who is using?' Ron said indifferently.

'Snape's not really spying on the Order, Ron,' Hermione sighed.

'I know that, but You-Know-Who doesn't.'

'I think he might,' said Harry. 'Sanaro is spying on the Order for his father. He told me so himself. I just don't know who he is posing as. What I do know, however, is that I know him as this imposter.'

'We'll make sure Dumbledore gets your message,' Hermione promised, before she and Ron were shooed out by Madam Pomfrey so Harry could get some more rest. Not that Harry got it.

While he didn't let Hermione and Ron see his concern, what Hermione said had unbalanced him. Could both she and Sanaro be right? True, Sanaro could have just been saying those things to gain his trust, but Hermione? Why would she say something like that about Dumbledore unless she truly believed it to be true? And they were so close to the thoughts that he had been having until he had convinced himself that Dumbledore had done it for the "Greater Good".

Now he was having conflicting thoughts on whom he should and shouldn't trust. He vaguely wondered if he should talk to someone, like Madam Pomfrey, about these thoughts, but he quickly dismissed it. Knowing his luck, Dumbledore would find out about the conversation and would see to it that Harry remained on his side.

It was because of these thoughts that Harry had a lot of trouble getting back to sleep and when he did his dreams were about Sanaro and Dumbledore trying to convince him to join their side in the war, before waking up in a cold sweat.

It was still dark out, so Harry tried to fall back to sleep, but he couldn't. He knew that he had to get to the bottom of this. He knew that he had to speak to Dumbledore.

Making sure that he wouldn't wake Madam Pomfrey, Harry silently got out of bed and made his way through the deserted corridors. Strangely enough, he didn't meet any patrolling teachers.

Upon arriving at the headmaster's office, Harry hesitantly raised his hand to knock on the door, but stopped when he heard voices from within; Dumbledore's and Moody's.

'Do you think Sanaro knows?' Moody was saying to Dumbledore.

'I cannot see how he could, Alastor,' Dumbledore replied, but he didn't sound at all confident. 'As far as Sanaro is concerned, his little brother is dead.'

'Then why did he want the boy to join him?'

'I cannot say. He knows that Harry is powerful. Maybe he just wants to use his power, like we do. Or maybe they want him as a symbol, like he is a beacon of hope to our people.'

Harry froze. "Use his power, like we do." That's what Dumbledore had just said. Did Harry just misunderstand Dumbledore's meaning in that comment, or was he truly just a pawn to Dumbledore in this war?

'We should have killed him when we had the chance,' Moody continued to rant. 'The moment we saw his power…'

'Do you not think that I have been trying?' Dumbledore hissed at his friend, turning Harry cold. 'It's not like I can just go up to him and murder him. That would make people suspicious. He should have died when he went after the Philosopher's Stone. He should have met his end there at the hands of his father, but no, he had to discover that Voldemort couldn't bear to touch him.'

'You should have just killed him there and made everyone think that Voldemort had killed him,' Moody huffed.

'Severus Snape was with me when I went down there,' Dumbledore said bitterly. 'When I was heading for the third floor corridor, I came across him and he insisted on coming with me.'

'Should have just killed him too,' Moody said dismissingly. 'He wouldn't be missed. Once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater.'

'Severus is a very useful asset in this war,' Dumbledore said firmly. 'Without him, we wouldn't have the inside information on Voldemort.'

'What information? Hardly any of it has been proven useful.'

'That is because of Sanaro. That I can be certain,' Dumbledore said thoughtfully. 'Remember the message Harry foolishly gave us about his brother spying on us? Sanaro would have found out our plans and then would have told his father, who would have made sure our plans failed.'

'So we need to get rid of Sanaro.'

'Yes, but it will be difficult. By the time we find out who he is posing as, he will be on to us and will change his strategy.'

'Then how do we get rid of him?'

'I thought we could send Harry to capture him.'

'How's a sixteen year old supposed to capture a grown man?' Moody asked with a cynical snort.

'He is the reason Lucius Malfoy and those other Death Eaters were arrested in the Department of Mysteries. I am sure he can handle it, and if not, then I am positive that Sanaro will rid us of his presence. This will then lead to Sanaro's spirit breaking when he discovers that he has just murdered his little brother.'

Moody's cruel laughter followed his statement.

Harry felt sick. He couldn't believe that Dumbledore, the man he had trusted and had seen as a grandfather, was plotting his death. He now understood why the man had never stopped him from going into dangerous situations too. It was because he was hoping that he would be killed. Everything he had known had been a lie! Sanaro was right. Dumbledore didn't care about him.

Sanaro...

Sanaro was his brother! His brother! He had a brother! He couldn't believe it! What's more Voldemort, the man who wanted him dead, was his father! That meant that everything he had known in the sense of his family had been a lie too!

Words could not comprehend what Harry was feeling, but on a basic level he was feeling hurt, betrayed, disgusted, horrified and scared. He had no idea what he was supposed to do or where to turn. He didn't even know how the people he loved would react to this news, or if they had known from the very beginning and just wanted him dead too.

Shaking uncontrollably, Harry decided that he had heard enough and began to turn away, only to have the door fly open and Moody's wand aimed at his heart. Harry froze.

'How much did you over hear, boy?' Mad-Eye demanded coldly.

'I heard enough!' Harry said just as coldly. 'I know that you have been planning my murder, and that Voldemort is my father!'

'Pity. If you had been smart enough not to listen, you could have lived longer. What should we do with him now, Dumbledore?'

Dumbledore suddenly appeared at the door and Harry unconsciously shrunk away from him. The coldness in Dumbledore's eyes frightened him. Dumbledore had never looked at him like that. Harry vaguely hoped that he was somehow still dreaming and this was just a nightmare. He absently pinched himself. No, he wasn't dreaming. This was really happening.

'I do not know,' Dumbledore admitted, looking thoughtful. 'This is another unwanted complication you have created for me.'

Harry, who had faced death on countless occasions, could honestly say that he had never been this scared before. When he faced Voldemort, he knew what to expect, but now he faced the complete unknown. He didn't know what Dumbledore was capable of.

'Bring him inside while I mould everything over,' Dumbledore ordered, before going back inside.

Moody flicked his wand threateningly at Harry, motioning for him to go inside. Harry hesitated before taking off back down the stairs, narrowly missing a spell Moody shot at him.

Harry had no idea where he was running too, but he didn't care. All he cared about was getting away from the elderly men after him.

Having paid no attention to where he was running, Harry accidently ran into someone, knocking them both to the ground. Groaning, Harry looked to see who he had ran into, only to find Snape getting to his feet. The Potions Master than turned and glared at the boy, only to then frown as he saw the boy cower away from him.

Harry jumped as he heard Moody yell out for him.

Eyes narrowed, Snape mutely grabbed Harry forcing him to his feet. He then pushed the boy into a nearby classroom. He had only just closed the classroom door when Dumbledore and Moody came around the corner.

'Headmaster... Moody,' Snape greeted in his usual uncaring tone. 'Is something wrong?'

'We are just looking for Harry,' Dumbledore told him. 'Have you seen him?'

'No, sir. This corridor has been silent until now.'

'Very well. If you see him, please bring him to my office immediately. I'm afraid his time captured has affected him worse than we had imagined.'

'How so?'

'Sanaro has somehow managed to put the thought into his head that we want to kill him,' Dumbledore sighed sadly.

'Really?' Snape actually sounded interested at this piece of information.

'Well... if you see him...'

'Good evening, Headmaster.'

'Good night, Severus.'

Snape watched the two men leave, before silently slipping into the classroom, nearly walking into Harry, who had been listening at the door.

'You didn't tell them I was here,' Harry stated. 'Why?'

'Because I want to know why they were after you,' Snape stated truthfully. 'So why were they after you? I know it had nothing to do with Sanaro. You are not that weak minded to believe whatever he told you in one day. So tell me everything.'

At first Harry didn't answer, but he then decided to surprisingly trust Snape. After all, he hadn't handed him over to Dumbledore.

'Sanaro and Hermione ended up having me question how much Dumbledore truly cared about me and I guess I needed to speak to him about it, so I went to see him,' Harry began, speaking more to the floor than to Snape. 'It was then that I overheard him talking with Moody, plotting my death. They then went on to say how Sanaro was a threat they needed to remove. They wanted to use me to help them capture him, and if he killed me in the process, it would be a bonus to them. They stated that my death would break him when he found out that I was his little brother.'

'He said that you were Damian!' Snape gasped. He had been horrified by what Harry had been telling him, but he was completely shocked by this piece of information. 'Are you sure?'

'He said several references stating that I was Voldemort's son and Sanaro's brother,' Harry said glumly. 'I don't know whether it is true or not, but then I don't know what to believe any more.'

Snape stared down at his student, thinking.

'Sanaro was right,' Harry said suddenly. 'I should have never trusted Dumbledore.'

'You weren't to know,' Snape said quietly. 'You're only a boy. Many older and wiser wizards have been fooled just as much as you have been. Most of the wizarding world, in fact.'

Harry looked sharply up at Snape.

'If you know what he is like, then why are you in the Order?' Harry asked cautiously. 'Is it to avoid being sent to Azkaban.'

'I fear not that place,' Snape said truthfully, 'and you already know my reasons for putting up with Dumbledore, even if you can't remember them presently. Now come with me.'

'Where are we going?' Harry asked hesitantly as he slowly began to follow Snape.

'I'm taking you where you will be safe and where we can see if you are really Damian as Dumbledore says you are,' Snape answered. 'Now, no more talking and follow me.'

Harry did as he ordered. He figured that he might as well trust Snape. After all, the man had never really lied to him. He had always been blunt.

Snape carefully led Harry through the corridors unseen, but when they arrived at the entrance hall and were about to exit the castle into the grounds, Snape heard something and immediately pushed Harry behind a statue to hide.

'Severus, what are you doing?' McGonagall asked, pausing in her patrol.

'The Dark Lord has summoned his Death Eaters,' Snape lied bluntly, but convincingly. Even Harry almost believed him, even though he knew that he was lying.

'At this time of night?' said McGonagall. 'Well I won't hold you up. Good night, Severus.

'Minerva,' Snape said, inclining his head slightly.

The moment McGonagall was out of sight, Snape motioned for Harry to follow him outside.

Harry shivered as the cold night breeze pierced through his pyjamas. He didn't complain though, and not because he knew his complaint would fall on deaf ears either.

Student and teacher silently made their way through the grounds, before exiting them into Hogsmeade. When they were in Hogsmeade, Snape held out his arm to Harry, who took it, knowing that Snape was going to Apparate them away.

He ended up Apparating Harry to what looked like a luxurious manor.

'Where are we?' Harry asked nervously as.

'Somewhere you will be safe. It was where you were meant to go before you did a runner.'

'Malfoy Manor.' Harry sighed. 'I kind wish that I had have gone there in the first place.'

'If you had of you would have still been miserable and would constantly be trying to escape,' Snape said bluntly, nodding his head to a couple of passing Death Eaters. 'This is for the best. At least now you know the truth and can start to rebuild your life.'

'What life?' Harry grumbled as Snape stopped a passing Death Eater.

'Are you going onto your shift at St. Mungo's?' he asked.

'Yes. Why?' the Death Eater replied suspiciously.

'I need you to grab a DNA potion for the Dark Lord,' said Snape.

'Sure.' The Death Eater shrugged and continued on his way.

'Why does Vol – um – You-Know-Who what a DNA potion?' Harry asked curiously as they continued on their way. 'What is it anyway?'

'It's a potion to help identify if two people are related. We'll find out once and for all if you are the Dark Lord's son.'

Harry merely nodded his head glumly.

Snape ended up leading Harry to Voldemort's personal quarters.

What surprised Harry was that Snape merely bowed his head instead of kneeling before his master like the other Death Eaters did.

Voldemort calmly looked at Snape, before turning his cold, red eyes upon the miserable Harry. He frowned ever so slightly.

'Have you come to have me put you out of your misery, Potter?' he eventually asked.

Harry was tempted to say yes, but instead he muttered, 'No.'

'I take it you still have some crazy idea about convincing him to join our cause, Sanaro?' Voldemort said with a sigh, turning to face Snape again.

'You're Sanaro!' Harry gasped. Things started to make sense.

'I thought that would have been obvious,' Sanaro commented as he dropped his Glamour. He then looked back at his father. 'I brought him here for his own safety, as ironic as it sounds.'

'And what makes you think that he is safer here than with his precious headmaster?' Voldemort hissed.

'He overheard Dumbledore and Moody plotting his death, Father,' Sanaro said bluntly, making Voldemort look at his son and Harry sharply.

'Why would Dumbledore what his Chosen One dead?' Voldemort wondered aloud.

'I think it's because Potter is really Damian,' Sanaro said hesitantly.

'Damian is dead,' Voldemort said harshly. 'Moody killed him as a baby. You and I were both there.'

'What if what we saw was an illusion?' Sanaro argued. 'Dumbledore made reference to Moody about Harry, or Damian, being my brother and your son. Now, why would Dumbledore make references like that unless it weren't true?'

'Have you ever considered the fact that Dumbledore put Potter up to this?'

'Father, you and I both know that he is a terrible liar,' Sanaro said pointedly.

Voldemort slightly nodded his head as if to say, 'I'll give you that one.'

'I've already asked one of the St. Mungo's Death Eaters to get a DNA potion for me to find out once and for all,' Sanaro continued.

'And if he isn't who you think?'

'Then we'll be no worse off,' Sanaro said simply. 'Look, Father, he won't be a bother to you. We can do what we planned to do before he ran away.'

Voldemort was silent as he thought over what his son had said, before looking over at Harry, who had his eyes lowered to the ground.

'Very well,' Voldemort said eventually. 'But if the boy turns out to be a spy or hinders my plans, you're both dead.'

'Understood, Father,' Sanaro said, trying not to laugh at his father's empty threat. He had been using that same tired old threat on him for years.

**-THE EXPOSED TRUTH-**

Sanaro ended up showing Harry to a room that was next to his, so he could get some much needed rest.

The next morning, Sanaro came for him, with some clothes in hand; ready to shrink them for him. Once Harry was dressed, they then went down and surprisingly had breakfast with Voldemort. Harry sat there silently as they discussed the Death Eaters and future plans against the Order of the Phoenix.

It was during one of these discussions that the Death Eater Sanaro had spoken to came in with the DNA potion.

'Sorry to interrupt, my Lord, Master Sanaro,' the Death Eater said, kneeling before them. 'Snape said that you wanted a DNA potion.' The Death Eater held it out to Voldemort, who accepted it.

'You are dismissed,' Voldemort said in his usual tone of voice.

The Death Eater immediately left with a bow.

'Tell me, Potter,' Voldemort began, once the Death Eater was gone. 'What will you do if you turn out to be Damian?'

Sanaro quickly looked at Harry, who shrugged.

'I – I don't know,' he said quietly. 'But then, I'm not sure about anything at the moment.'

'You do realise that if you are my son, you will have no choice but to join Sanaro and my Death Eaters,' Voldemort continued.

'Couldn't I just remain neutral?' Harry asked dully.

'No.' Voldemort's tone told Harry that it wasn't up for discussion.

'I'm not a killer! Nor am I a torturer! I'm nothing like your Death Eaters.'

'You just need some teaching,' Voldemort said dismissingly. 'After all, you have already used one of the Unforgivable Curses on Bellatrix. The Cruciatus Curse, was it not?'

Harry paled.

'That was a once off occasion!' Harry said, quickly trying to defend himself. 'I was furious and upset that she had murdered Sirius. I was just trying to make her feel the way she had made me feel!'

'And you don't have that same urge to get Dumbledore?' Voldemort questioned innocently. 'Shouldn't he suffer for making you suffer for six years? But it would be more like fifteen years, wouldn't it? He was the one that made you live with those abusive Muggles, wasn't he?'

Harry didn't know how Voldemort knew about the Dursleys and he didn't care. However, what Voldemort said had Harry thinking. Did he want to hurt Dumbledore? Yes, he did. He hated him for using him and treating him like a mere pawn that could be disposed of. And if he was treating Harry that way, who else was unknowingly being his pawns?

Dumbledore had to be stopped for in this war, he was the true criminal, not Voldemort. Voldemort was surprisingly honest... to a certain degree, but with Dumbledore all you got was manipulation with that grandfatherly act.

'Will you negotiate?' Harry asked his supposed enemy quietly.

'I usually don't, but I shall hear you out,' replied Voldemort.

'What if I helped you take down Dumbledore, but then step back and fade into the background, becoming neutral?'

'No.'

'Why not?' Harry demanded with a whine.

'You may not trust Dumbledore any more, but I'm pretty sure that there are still those on the other side that you do trust! No one ever stays neutral for very long, believe me. You either join me or die, it's that simple. For if you are not with me, you're against me.'

'But I have friends who are Muggle-borns!' Harry argued.

'But say that you are in fact Damian; will they still be your friends when they know the truth?'

Harry opened his mouth to argue, but no words came out. Voldemort had a point. Would anyone still want to be friends with him once they found out that he was Voldemort's son? He'd like to think that they wouldn't care, but he knew that wouldn't be so.

'So what you're saying is that I should betray them before they betray me,' Harry said quietly.

'More or less,' Voldemort said with an uncaring shrug.

Harry stared at him, before turning his gaze to Sanaro, who was watching him calmly. Harry looked down at his uneaten breakfast.

'So how does this potion work?' he asked eventually, pushing away his plate.

'Both you and me must put a couple of drops of blood into the potion,' Sanaro explained. 'If it turns green, it means we are brothers, hence you are Damian. If it doesn't... at least we'll know that Dumbledore has definitely become senile in his old age.'

Harry watched as Sanaro picked up a sharp knife and pricked his finger, before carefully placing two drops of blood into the test tube the potion was in. He then helped Harry. As gently as he could, he prinked Harry's finger and watched as Harry added his blood to the potion with a trembling hand.

Once his blood was added, they watched the potion closely as it began to bubble before slowly turning green. Harry was indeed Damian Riddle.

* * *

**Azaelia Silmarwen Facebook page:** link on profile  
**Written:** 3 October 2013  
**Updated:** N/A**  
Beta:** BETA WANTED

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT CLAIM OWNERSHIP OVER THE ORIGINAL COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL IN THIS STORY. THIS IS A NON-PROFIT FANDUB CREATED BY FANS, FOR FANS. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED, FAIR USE ONLY.**


	5. The Start of Something New

**CHAPTER FIVE: THE START OF SOMETHING NEW**

Harry, though as he now knew his name to be Damian, stared at the potion in his brother's hand. Green. He couldn't believe that he was really Voldemort's son. It was scary enough to know that Voldemort had one son, but to know that he had two, to the same woman, Damian thought to be even more impossible.

'So now we know,' Voldemort muttered, now taking a lot more interest in the faint Damian. 'Dumbledore must have put a powerful Glamour on you to make you look like James Potter.' He then pulled out his wand and Damian automatically flinched.

'I'm not going to hurt you,' Voldemort said impatiently. 'I'm only going to try and remove that Glamour. I will not have my youngest son going around looking like a Potter.'

Voldemort then got to his feet and walked over to Damian. He then grabbed his chin to make him look at him. Harry gave a gasp of pain and jerked away, rubbing his scar.

'I think we may have to look into that cursed scar a bit more,' Sanaro commented absently.

'Indeed,' Voldemort agreed, reframing from touching his son again.

From there, he then began to mutter different counter-curses, but none of them worked. At least Damian gathered that they weren't working by Voldemort's slowly rising temper.

'He must have used the old Glamour potion that purebloods used to use when they adopted,' Sanaro said calmly as Voldemort declared that he didn't know any more spells to try. 'If you wish it, I'll get started on the antidote.'

'The sooner the better,' Voldemort said, before leaving the room, without so much as a goodbye.

The brothers then looked at each other.

'What happens now?' Damian asked him awkwardly.

'Now we try and get you settled into your new life,' Sanaro answered.

'Joy,' Damian muttered sardonically, standing up and following his newly found brother out of the room.

He ended up following his brother moodily back to his bedroom where he found Narcissa Malfoy waiting patiently, and nervously, for them. She frowned when she saw Damian, but she didn't question his presence.

'Morning, Narcissa,' Sanaro greeted cheerfully, stepping forward gracefully and kissing her on the cheek in a friendly gesture. 'How are you?' His smile seemed to vanish at this question and a look of sincere concern replaced it.

'I'm doing fine now that your father has decided that he doesn't need Draco at the present time,' replied Narcissa, smiling up at him. 'But I assume you didn't ask me here just to see how your best friend's wife was doing.'

'You're right, as usual,' Sanaro said with a slight chuckle. 'Could you take Pot – Damian to Diagon Alley and get him a new wardrobe?'

'Did you say Damian?' Narcissa asked sharply, turning her gaze upon Damian. 'Potter is really Damian?'

'Yes. Dumbledore has been using him. The sick bastard must have found it hilarious to have us fighting each other.'

'How did your father react to this?'

'He reacted the same way he reacted to our births... pretty much indifferently.' Sanaro then turned to Damian. 'I trust that you will behave and won't run away when you are in Diagon Alley with Narcissa.'

'You have nothing to worry about,' Damian said emotionlessly. 'It's not like I have anywhere I can run away to. Besides, at least for the time being I'm ironically safe here.'

'Potter – er – Damian, you'll always be safe with us,' Sanaro said gently. 'You're family. I know that Father comes across as being plain evil, but he does care. He just forgets to show it.'

'I believe it when I see it,' Damian stated stubbornly.

The brothers then stared at each other, while Narcissa awkwardly hung in the background.

'You should go,' Sanaro said suddenly. 'I'll be down in the Malfoys' private potions lab when you return.'

Damian snorted.

'Typical,' he muttered, before leaving the room with Narcissa.

As the two of them walked down the manor's luxurious corridors, they came across several Death Eaters, all of which snarled at Damian. Some even made a move to speak or grab him, but thought better of it when Narcissa glared at them.

The duo ended up Flooing to Diagon Alley, much to Damian's dismay. He hated travelling by Floo with a passion.

Once they were in Diagon Alley, Narcissa took him to different clothes shops, purchasing robes for special occasions and casual teenaged clothes. This took them a good three hours as they had to buy Damian a whole new wardrobe and Damian wasn't much help. He decided that he definitely hated clothes shopping.

'You're as bad as Draco,' Narcissa commented as she paid for the last of Damian's new clothes. She glanced over at him and saw that he looked rather bored and moody. It was how Draco usually looked when he had to go clothes shopping. 'He too hates clothes shopping.'

'Good to know,' Damian muttered, stepping forward to take some more bags of clothes to carry home. Not that he called Malfoy Manor his home yet. 'Are all these clothes really necessary?'

'Of course they are! Your father will expect to see you in different robes for different events –'

'Voldemort is not my father!' Damian hissed quietly, so no one would hear.

'Of course he is –'

'Biologically, yes, but that is the only thing that has earned him that title.'

'Damian –'

'And don't call me Damian either! My names Harry and it always will be.'

Narcissa was about to open her mouth to reply, but thought better of it. If Damian was anything like Draco, there would be no reasoning with him until he had cooled down. Instead, Narcissa simply led him to a fireplace so they Floo back to Malfoy Manor.

Once at their destination, they headed straight for Damian's room, where Narcissa began to put his clothes neatly away.

'Mrs Malfoy, you don't have to do that,' Damian informed her softly. 'I'm more than capable of doing it myself.'

'I know, dear,' she replied as she continued to put the clothes away. 'Why don't you go and speak to Sanaro?'

'Why would I want to do that?'

'Whether you like it or not, he is your older brother,' Narcissa said with a mother's sternness. 'You should get to know him. I'm sure you have a lot in common.'

'I seriously doubt it,' Damian muttered. 'Besides, it's not that easy to forget all the grief he has given me over the past six years.'

'You forget that he has done nothing but protect you,' Narcissa said pointedly.

'Yeah, only because of a life debt to James Potter, to continue his act as a Hogwarts teacher, and because he wants to use me for whatever power everyone is going on about!'

'No, it's more than that,' Narcissa said softly. 'The bond between brothers is unique and unbreakable.'

'Tell that to Sirius and his brother.'

'Sirius and Regulus did care about one another, they just never showed it,' Narcissa said sadly. 'Now run along. You can't spend the rest of your life locked up in your room.'

'No, I'll be spending it as a Death Eater,' Damian grumbled as he left his room and went exploring.

It didn't take him long to find his way down to the potions lab. Unsurprisingly, Sanaro was still down there working on his potions.

At first Damian just stood in the doorway, quietly watching him, before knocking quietly on the door. Sanaro looked up and smiled slightly.

'Pot – Damian,' he greeted. 'What a surprise. I thought that you would have locked yourself away in your room.'

'I wanted to, but Mrs Malfoy wouldn't let me,' Damian replied, walking cautiously into the room. 'She told me to come down here and speak to you.'

'About what?'

'I don't know. She told me that I need to get to know you.'

'Right.'

An awkward silence followed, with neither one knowing what to say to the other. During this long awkward silence, Sanaro went back to working on his potion while Damian silently walked around, looking at everything on the shelves. It reminded him of Severus Snape's office at Hogwarts. Eventually, though, he went and sat quietly across from Sanaro and watched him work. He grudgingly had to admit the saying that those who cannot do teach, did not apply to Sanaro. He was definitely a great Potions Master.

As Damian sat there, a sudden thought occurred to him.

'Professor, who is my mother?' Damian asked hesitantly.

'Her name was Lucinda, a pure-blood Slytherin, who Father went to school with,' Sanaro answered quietly, his eyes fixed on his potion. 'She was murdered by Dumbledore the same night we thought Moody had murdered you.'

'Why is Vol – er – You-Know-Who letting me live?' Damian enquired. 'The prophecy said –'

'There was more than one boy born at the end of July whose parents had thrice defined Father,' Sanaro interrupted. 'Though seeing as the other boy is Neville Longbottom, I think the prophecy is a joke.'

'You mean a fake?' Damian questioned.

'Yes. I think Dumbledore just got Trelawney to say that stuff to get Father to go after you and kill you.'

'Why doesn't that surprise me?' Damian questioned bitterly. 'At least now I know why I can speak Parseltongue.'

'Yes. At least we know why now,' Sanaro agreed. 'I was astounded when you started talking to that snake in your second year. I began to wonder if we were somehow related.'

'And it turns out we are,' said Damian. 'Tell me, why did you have me spared? You hate me! You were always picking on me.'

'I never hated you,' Sanaro said truthfully. 'I merely acted that way to trick Dumbledore and gain the old fool's trust. You merely irritated and annoyed me at times, but then most students do.'

'Even the Slytherins?' Damian questioned.

'Even the Slytherins.'

Damian chuckled slightly.

'I know it's going to be hard for the next few months, or even years, but it will get better,' Sanaro informed Damian gently. 'There will be times where we will fight and call each other the wrong names, but that will eventually disappear. I know that it will take you a long time to trust us and to forgive us for all the misery we have caused you, but know that we will try to make this work. We're family after all.'

'I know,' Damian responded quietly. 'I guess that will mean that I'll have to try to be open-minded.'

'Just a little,' Sanaro agreed, before continuing with his potion making, while Damian contently watched him silently.

* * *

**Azaelia Silmarwen Facebook page:** link on profile  
**Written:** 4 November 2013  
**Updated:** N/A**  
Beta:** BETA WANTED

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT CLAIM OWNERSHIP OVER THE ORIGINAL COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL IN THIS STORY. THIS IS A NON-PROFIT FANDUB CREATED BY FANS, FOR FANS. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED, FAIR USE ONLY.**


	6. The Announcement

**CHAPTER SIX: THE ANNOUNCEMENT**

Over the next few days, Damian spent most of his time sitting miserably outside by himself. Now, while it might appear as though he was sulking, it was actually because he was lonely and had nothing to do. Sanaro was still at Hogwarts playing the role of the loyal Hogwarts professor, so he couldn't talk to him, and there was no way Damian was going to spend time with Voldemort. It was scary enough just having meals with him. Occasionally he had Narcissa Malfoy to have a word with, but that was very rare as she was in charge of running the manor and dealing with the Death Eaters staying there.

Then there were the Death Eaters themselves. Damian made sure to avoid them like the plague, but it was very difficult to do. Every time they saw him, their eyes would narrow and they would bear their teeth at him. They were like a pack of angry wolves. Every single one of them wanting to draw his blood and get revenge for the humiliation he had bestowed upon their comrades in Azkaban.

However, he would soon be avoiding more people once the summer holidays had begun. With the summer holidays came Draco Malfoy and his friends.

'Are you excited to see your brother again, Damian?' Narcissa asked him the morning of the end of school.

'Sorry?'

'School has finished and Sanaro will be here later today.'

'Oh.'

'You don't sound very excited,' she accused.

'Maybe if I were close to him, I would be,' Damian said dismissingly. 'But it will be nice to have some company with someone I can trust, even if it's painful at times.'

'Draco will be back for the holidays too,' Narcissa continued. 'Maybe you and he can spend some time together.'

'No offense, but I don't think that is a good idea,' Damian replied serious. 'All we do is argue and fight.'

'And do you know why that is?'

'It's because we have nothing in common.'

'I wouldn't be too sure about that,' Narcissa disagreed. 'I may have only spoken to you at meals and several other times, but in those short periods of time I have seen a lot of similarities between you and Draco.'

'Then it is our beliefs,' Damian declared stubbornly. 'He believes that Muggles and Muggle-borns are beneath him, while I see them equal to us in every way.'

'Then it would be best to avoid talking about those topics,' Narcissa said mildly, before leaving Damian to his thoughts as he dreaded the days to come.

Sanaro ended up returning to Malfoy Manor shortly after lunch. Once he had settled in, he went looking for Damian. He ended up finding his little brother lounging under the shade of one of the ancient looking trees in the Malfoys grounds.

'You look like you're having a great time,' Sanaro said jokingly, stopping before him.

'Is it that obvious?' Damian asked with a sigh.

'When you work with teenagers it is,' replied Sanaro. 'What are you doing out here?'

'You mean besides avoiding Voldemort and the Death Eaters? I'm trying to think of something to do.'

'First, stop calling Father by that name,' Sanaro scolded, 'and second, why don't you read a book or play a game?'

'Last time I looked, all of my belongings are still at Hogwarts, if they haven't been destroyed.'

'The Malfoys do have a library,' Sanaro said pointedly. 'And if you asked Narcissa, I'm sure she could have found a game for you to play.'

'I guess,' Damian sighed.

'After today I shouldn't have to hear you complaining about being bored,' Sanaro continued.

'What you are about to say had better not contain Draco Malfoy's name,' Damian warned. 'Like I told Mrs Malfoy; us living together will not be a good idea.'

'If you go into it with that attitude it won't be. Look, Damian, I know you and Draco have had your differences in the past, but don't you think it is time for you to work passed them?'

'I think I would be able to take your advice if you were able to do that with the Marauders.'

'Damian, I never said that I was the perfect role model,' Sanaro responded seriously. 'I'm just saying that you should do what I couldn't do; be mature enough to let go of past grudges. After all, you will be living together for the next few months.'

'Thanks for reminding me,' Damian grumbled.

**-THE EXPOSED TRUTH-**

That night Sanaro found his brother sitting in the Malfoys' sitting room seemingly reading a book. However, Sanaro could tell that he wasn't for his eyes weren't moving across the page. Then there was the small detail that Damian had the book up-side-down. Sanaro sniggered ever so slightly.

'Good book?' he questioned, sitting lightly in the chair opposite Damian.

'Hm? Oh, um, yeah,' Damian replied distractedly.

'Really? What's it about?'

'I'm not in far enough to know.'

'Well maybe if you turned the book the right way around you would be able to read it easier.'

Sanaro could have laughed out loud at his brother's facial expression. Upon realising, Damian hastily put the book the right way with a very slight red tinge appearing on his cheeks.

'What's wrong?' the older of the two asked.

'Nothing.'

'I don't have to be a skilled Legilimens to know that you are lying,' Sanaro commented bluntly. 'You're a terrible liar. What you are feeling and thinking is written all over your face.'

Damian responded to his comment with an unimpressed look.

Sanaro sighed.

'You know where I am if you want to talk,' he said, getting to his feet. 'I came in here to tell you that Draco is home. Dinner will be ready soon.' He then left the room without a backwards glance.

Damian watched him leave indifferently. He then stared at the doorway, before sighing and closing his book. His brother was right. Something was bothering him and that something was Draco Malfoy. Damian had been thinking about what Narcissa and Sanaro had said. Maybe he should do the mature thing and try to be civil with the Malfoy heir. What did he have to lose? Besides, last time they met they had found themselves on different sides of the war, but now they were on the same side. At least they would be if Damian wasn't stubbornly remaining neutral despite what his father had declared.

Several minutes later, Damian managed to drag himself out of the chair and slowly began to make his way to the dining room. He figured dinner would be ready by now and he was right.

As he approached the dining room he could hear cheerful voices within. Damian groaned when he saw that it wouldn't be a small dinner like he had become accustomed to. No, this was a feast. Within the dining hall were Voldemort's Inner Circle, Sanaro, Narcissa and Draco. Thankfully, Voldemort was nowhere to be seen.

Damian, hoping that no one had seen him enter, quickly turned to leave, only to find himself face-to-face with Voldemort.

'Dinner is the other way, Damian,' Voldemort said in a cold tone that held no room for arguments. 'You will be sitting on my left, across from your brother.'

'If I must,' Damian mumbled.

'You are my heir and as such you must get used to feasts like this one,' Voldemort said impatiently. 'Now go and take your seat.'

Biting down an angry retort, Damian did as he was ordered. He didn't feel like being tortured in front of everyone. He had experienced that humiliation in the graveyard and had no desire to experience it again.

As he walked to his seat, conversations abruptly broke off as the Death Eaters caught sight of him. A handful of them knew that Damian was living at Malfoy Manor even if they didn't know the reason why. However, the majority didn't know and they were startled to see him there. A few even went for their wands. Draco, on the other hand, just stared opened-mouthed at his rival, before giving his mother an accusing look for not telling him about Damian's presence.

Well aware that everyone was watching him, Damian took his seat and glared at his amused brother. He couldn't see anything amusing about the situation. Damian knew that dinner was going to be long and painful. He made sure to avoid eye contact with anyone other than Sanaro and Narcissa. To make matters worse, Draco was sitting next to him. Damian pointedly ignored him. He would not get into any discussion with him now. He just wanted to disappear.

Once Voldemort was seated, everyone began to eat, though Damian merely played with his food. He had suddenly lost his appetite. It didn't help that he had Voldemort glaring at him for not eating.

'Stop playing with your food,' Voldemort eventually hissed out.

'I'm not hungry,' Damian muttered.

'I don't care.'

'Of course you don't. After all, why would you?' Damian grudgingly began to eat.

What seemed like an eternity later, dinner was over which meant Damian would be able to lock himself up in his room. However, Voldemort had an announcement to make. The moment he stood up, the chatter around the table disappeared with all eyes on Voldemort. Even Damian grudgingly looked at his father to hear what he had to say.

'As you all know, my youngest son, Damian, was taken from me on the night Lucinda was murdered,' Voldemort began calmly. This statement made many Death Eaters very nervous, Damian noticed. 'For fifteen years I have believed that he was taken from me in death, but know I know otherwise. My friends, Damian was not murdered that night, but rather kidnapped and raised to be my enemy. However, certain events have unfolded that have brought my son back to me.

'Dumbledore thought that he could manipulate my son, but his brilliant and conniving plan backfired when Damian overheard the old fool discussing ways to have him killed. Fortunately, Damian managed to escape Dumbledore's grasp and is now ready to stand with us to eliminate Dumbledore once and for all. Damian, of course, does not resemble myself or Lucinda due to some ancient Glamour magic that Dumbledore placed upon him. If the Glamour did not exist, Sanaro and I would have no doubt identified him sooner. It is for this reason that Damian has been forced to live his life as Harry Potter.'

Gasps erupted around the table and many Death Eaters turned their eyes upon Damian, who ignored them in favour of glaring at his father. Voldemort merely stared back at him indifferently. The man had to announce that now, didn't he? He could have at least given Damian a heads up. And the way he said it; it was as though Damian fully supported everything Voldemort was doing. If Sanaro hadn't coughed warningly, Damian would have definitely set the record straight.

Voldemort then warned them all to treat Damian with the same respect they showed him and Sanaro, before leaving the room.

Once Voldemort was gone, Damian muttered a quiet, 'Goodnight,' to Sanaro, before hurrying back to his room. He made sure to ignore everyone else as he went. He didn't know what was worse, Death Eaters glaring at him or bowing to him.

* * *

**Azaelia Silmarwen Facebook page:** link on profile  
**Written:** 18 December 2013  
**Updated:** N/A**  
Beta:** BETA WANTED

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT CLAIM OWNERSHIP OVER THE ORIGINAL COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL IN THIS STORY. THIS IS A NON-PROFIT FANDUB CREATED BY FANS, FOR FANS. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED, FAIR USE ONLY.**


	7. Second Chances

**CHAPTER SEVEN: SECOND CHANCES**

Just like dinner, breakfast the next morning was extremely awkward with the two school rivals sitting next to each other. Damian, however, made it perfectly clear that he wanted nothing to do with Draco as he pointedly ignored him. He never even looked at him. It also didn't help that Narcissa was trying to ease the tension unsuccessfully. In the end, Draco told her that she should save her breath as neither him or Damian wanted to talk to each other.

With breakfast finished, the pair went their separate ways; Damian went outside for a walk, while Draco joined Sanaro downstairs in the potions laboratory. It wasn't until an hour later that their paths crossed again.

Damian was resting under one of the Malfoys' shady trees, when he saw Draco approaching him. With a sigh, he sat up and waited until he was before him. He then waited for Draco to make the first move.

'Do you want to come and play some Quidditch?' the Malfoy heir asked hesitantly.

Damian blinked.

'Why do you want me hanging out with you?' he asked suspiciously. 'I thought that you would avoid me.'

'Normally I would, except your brother has ordered me to spend time with you… to be your friend,' Draco admitted.

'What if I don't accept?' Damian questioned curiously.

'Then I suggest you tell Sanaro that… and then you might have to tell your father. Sanaro sort of hinted that the order came from him and he was merely the messenger.'

Damian groaned.

'Sure,' he eventually said. 'I guess we can be civil to one another. At least if we're civil, we can't get in trouble.'

'Agreed,' Draco said with a small smile. 'Come, the broom shed's over here.'

Damian and Draco walked in silence to the broom shed and gathered the Quidditch equipment that they then carried onto the Malfoys' personal Quidditch pitch.

'Do you want to play as Chasers or Seekers?' Draco asked.

'Might as well be Seekers and then use the rest of our energy up as Chasers,' Damian suggested awkwardly. This felt so weird. It was nothing like playing Quidditch with the Weasleys at the Burrow.

'Sure. I'll let our Bludgers out to make it more realistic.'

Damian watched as Draco calmly opened up the crate that contained the Quidditch balls. He first released the golden Snitch, before releasing the two Bludgers. Damian had been fair and had not followed the Snitch as it took off. Instead, he kept his eyes on Draco.

'Ready?' Draco questioned as he mounted his broom.

'Ready,' replied Damian, who was already mounted.

On the count of three they both took off and began to search for the Snitch. It was no surprise when Damian found and caught it first. Out of the five rounds they played, Damian won four times.

'How about doing some Chaser practice?' Damian suggested, feeling bad that he kept winning. He figured playing as a Chaser would make it fairer.

'Sure,' Draco agreed, tired of losing and being shown how bad he was.

The teenagers ended up playing seven rounds; Damian won only one and by the end his right arm was sore.

'You're really good,' Damian informed Draco as they landed. 'Why on earth do you play Seeker? You should play Chaser on the Slytherin team. You'd be much more beneficial to them in that position.'

'Thanks,' said Draco, taken back by the sincere compliment. 'I don't know. I guess it's because my father always talked about me being a Seeker… and I think I also wanted to show everyone that you were just a famous name,' he added sheepishly.

'When you go back to Hogwarts, you should apply as a Chaser. I think you'd be really good at it.'

'Thanks.'

'I have to admit, I actually had fun,' Damian continued awkwardly. 'Makes me wonder why we even became rivals.'

'I insulted Weasley and you rejected my offer of friendship,' Draco said with a shrug. 'We've disliked each other ever since. Admittedly, I went out of my way to anger you. I'm sorry for that.'

'It takes two people to create a rivalry,' replied Damian. 'So I'll forgive you if you can forgive me.'

'I think I can do that.' Draco held out his hand to Damian, who took it after the slightest hesitation.

This simple action did not mean that they were now best friends; it didn't mean that they were even friends, but it did mean that they would be friendly towards each other.

Talking quietly together, the duo packed up the Quidditch equipment before heading inside for lunch.

'You two seem friendlier with each other than you were this morning,' Sanaro commented as he entered the room and found the boys talking about Quidditch together. They both deemed this a safe topic.

'We've decided to be civil with one another,' Damian informed him. 'It's like you said, we will be living together, so we might as well try to get along. I also grudgingly have to admit that you and You-Know-Who ordering us to hangout wasn't such a bad idea.'

'Course it wasn't,' Sanaro commented, throwing all modesty aside. 'And speaking of Father, I have a message from him.'

'Do I want to hear it?' Damian asked nervously.

'It's nothing to sinister,' Sanaro commented, sounding amused. 'He merely wants you to study three times a week.'

'Why?'

'He's not thrilled with your grades,' Sanaro said simply.

'What's wrong with my grades?' Damian demanded. 'I'm an above average student.'

'Don't take it personally,' Sanaro said gently. 'Father just wants you to be an Outstanding students. Trust me, he did the exact same thing to me.'

'What's the point?' asked Damian. 'It's not like he's going to let me go back to Hogwarts, or any other school for that matter.'

'You still need an education, Damian. You'll just be experiencing the joys of being home schooled.'

'I suppose it could be worse,' Damian said with a sigh.

'Don't worry, Damian. During the school holidays, you'll have Draco to study with,' Narcissa informed him. 'He always has to study, though at times I think he might be fooling me.'

Draco smiled somewhat sheepishly.

'At least I'm not the only one who has to suffer,' said Damian.

Over the next few weeks, Damian and Draco grew slowly closer and got into a routine of time they spent together, time they spent studying, and time they spent by themselves. This allowed Damian to slowly adjust to his new life as he grew closer to Sanaro. He found that whenever he had a problem, Sanaro would be the first person he'd go to.

Then they came. Damian wondered why he never considered the fact that Draco would have his friends from Hogwarts come over to visit. When he told Damian, two days before they came, Voldemort's youngest son paled and said that he would spend the day hiding down in the potions laboratory with Sanaro, despite Draco's offer of him joining them.

The day they were due for their visit, Damian made sure he had everything he needed down with Sanaro. This seemed to amuse Sanaro, but he never commented on Damian's behaviour. He actually could understand Damian's behaviour, stating that he would hide from the likes of Pansy Parkinson, Gregory Goyle, and Vincent Crabbe too. He said that it was bad enough putting up with them at school, not to mention the holidays too.

During the morning, Damian's plan of hiding worked wonderfully, but he had forgotten one little detail… lunch. Narcissa was most insistent that all meals were to be eaten at the dining table. No exceptions. This meant Damian was going to have to face Draco's friends, as Draco realised too late. He had no time to prepare his friends.

'This will be torture,' Damian muttered to Sanaro as they entered the dining room. The Slytherins were already seated and eating.

'Who knows, you might become friends with some of them, like you have with Draco,' said Sanaro.

'Maybe.'

'Ah, Damian… Sanaro… I thought you two had gotten lost,' Narcissa said as she caught sight of the brothers.

The Slytherins then noticed Damian's presence and they fell silent, watching him.

'So much for your plan working,' Draco said to Damian.

'I knew I forgot something,' replied Damian, making Draco chuckle.

'I forgot about that _small_ detail too.'

'What's Potter doing here?' Pansy Parkinson demanded in her usual screechy tone.

'I live here, Parkinson,' Damian informed her coolly.

'So it's true?' Daphne Greengrass gasp. 'What it said in the _Prophet_, you really are the Dark Lord's son!'

'Dumbledore went to the _Daily Prophet_!' Damian exclaimed, turning sharply to Sanaro.

'I was waiting for the right time to show you this. I guess now's as good of time as any,' Sanaro said as he handed Damian the front page of the _Daily Prophet_.

Damian accepted and read the huge heading on the front page of the Prophet. _Dark Lord's Youngest Son Alive!_ _Damian_ _Marvolo Riddle's Secret Identity Revealed._ Under the heading and subheading, there was two pictures side-by-side. One was a picture of Voldemort when he was sixteen and the other was of Damian, which was taken after Sirius' death.

Damian quickly read the article;

_Last night it was revealed that You-Know-Who's youngest son, Damian_ _Marvolo Riddle, 16, was confirmed to be alive and has been living amongst us. Shockingly, You-Know-Who's son is none other than Harry James Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived. We must now ask ourselves; is he still the same hero we have always known or has it all been an act in order for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named to become victorious?… See page 3 for more details_.

Damian looked at the articles date and saw that it was written the day after he had left Hogwarts.

'Do you know how my friends have reacted?' Damian looked around at all the Slytherins.

'The Weasleys have been confirming that it's true,' Draco said quietly.

'Proof that they are either in on Dumbledore's schemes, or they believe the _Prophet_,' Sanaro muttered.

'Ron and Ginny wouldn't be in on Dumbledore's schemes,' Damian disagreed confidently. 'They wouldn't betray me.'

'I wouldn't be so sure about that,' Sanaro commented, 'especially that fan-girl brat. Once you're no longer the Chosen One, she'll find someone else.'

Damian kicked him hard in the shins.

'Ouch!'

'Ginny is not a fan girl!' Damian growled. 'Nor is she a brat! She loves me for me, not because I'm famous!'

'Are you sure about that, Damian?' Draco questioned hesitantly. 'Because in public it does look like she's only with you because you're famous.'

'Did Voldemort put you two up to this?' Damian demanded, making everyone, except Sanaro, flinch. 'Does he want me to break up with Ginny because her family is in the Order?'

'He has nothing to do with this and I doubt he'd even care about teenaged romances,' Sanaro answered. 'If you were to propose to her, he might take an interest, but otherwise he couldn't care less. We're saying this because we care about you.'

'Then you can do me a favour and care less like Voldemort.'

Damian then abruptly stood and stormed out of the dining room.

'That went well,' Narcissa remarked. 'Are you positive that the Weasley girl doesn't love him?'

'No, but it wouldn't surprise me if she's only after fame and wealth,' said Sanaro. 'Besides, I don't want her as a sister-in-law, and I very much doubt Father would be too keen on having her as a daughter-in-law.'

'You know what they say, Sanaro, "You can choose your friends but not your family".'

'Don't remind me.'

After lunch, Draco and his friends, some willing while others weren't, went looking for Harry.

The Slytherins ended up finding Damian sitting in one of the ancient trees on the edge of the Malfoy property.

'If my brother sent you here to turn me against my girlfriend, then you can turn around and walk the other way,' Damian informed them crossly.

'Do you mean that man who was at lunch?' Tracey Davis questioned.

'Yeah, that's my brother, Sanaro,' Damian sighed.

'Sanaro didn't send us,' Draco informed his friend, 'and we're not here to talk about your other friends either. We just came to see if you wanted to hang out with us.'

'You want to willingly spend time with a Gryffindor?' Damian remarked disbelievingly.

'Some of us are,' Daphne answered, 'while the others just have to live with it or go home.'

'Why would you want to hang out with me? I mean, it took an order from my father to get Draco and I to spend time together.'

'We figured that if Draco can be friends with the famous Harry Potter, than we might be able to like you too,' Blaise Zabini answered. 'Providing we don't talk about certain subjects, that is.'

'Sure,' Damian said, climbing down from the tree. 'I'm game if you are.'

It soon became clear who was against spending time with Damian. Pansy, Crabbe, Goyle, Millicent Bulstrode, and Theodore Nott did nothing to hide how they felt about spending time with Damian. They didn't care what Draco said about Damian. They were stuck in their stubborn ways and would never be friends with a 'Mudblood Lover'. Blaise, Daphne, and Tracey, however, were more open-minded and were willing to give Damian a chance.

By the end of the day, Blaise, Daphne, and Tracey all agreed to spend time with Damian again for they had surprisingly enjoyed his company. He was different to what they had expected, and the feeling was mutual. Damian felt the same way, so before the Slytherins left, they made plans to visit Damian on his birthday. The others wouldn't be coming.

* * *

**Azaelia Silmarwen Facebook page:** link on profile  
**Written:** 19 April 2014  
**Updated:** N/A**  
Beta:** BETA WANTED

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT CLAIM OWNERSHIP OVER THE ORIGINAL COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL IN THIS STORY. THIS IS A NON-PROFIT FANDUB CREATED BY FANS, FOR FANS. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED, FAIR USE ONLY.**


	8. Return to Hogwarts

**CHAPTER EIGHT: RETURN TO HOGWARTS**

As the school holidays continued, Damian saw a lot more of Daphne, Blaise, and Tracey, and he occasionally saw the other Slytherins, but those visits weren't as enjoyable. It was during one of these visits that Hogwarts was brought up.

'I can't believe the school holidays are almost over,' Goyle grumbled as they enjoyed their morning tea. 'I swear the holidays get shorter every year.'

'This is the last year we'll ever get them,' said Bulstrode. 'After this year we'll be getting jobs and our lives will truly begin.'

'Will you be returning to Hogwarts, Damian?' asked Tracey.

'I seriously doubt it,' Damian said with a sigh. 'It wouldn't be safe for me.'

'I'd have to disagree there,' Blaise remarked. 'Dumbledore wouldn't dare attack you. It wouldn't do well for his image.'

'That wouldn't stop him from kidnapping me again. He could easily cover that up.' Damian turned to Draco. 'Is Voldemort making you try and assassinate Dumbledore again this year?'

'I don't know,' said Draco. 'He hasn't said anything to me about it and when I spoke to Sanaro, he said he didn't know either.'

'I do now,' Sanaro said as he walked over to them. 'Damian, Draco, the Dark Lord wants to talk to you.'

'Are we in trouble?' Damian questioned, following Sanaro out of the room.

'No. Father merely wishes to speak to you about assassinating Dumbledore,' was all Sanaro would say, despite Damian and Draco pestering him for more information.

When they arrived at the room Voldemort was in, Damian and Draco became rather anxious.

When they entered the room, they saw that Voldemort had his back to them, looking out the large window at the back of the room, absently stoking Nagini's scaly head, who was draped around his shoulders.

'Damian and Draco are here, Father,' Sanaro said, announcing their presence.

Draco immediately knelt before Voldemort as he turned around. Damian found it very strange to see his friend kneeling before someone. He always saw Draco as a leader, not a follower.

'Rise, Draco,' Voldemort ordered. Draco obeyed. 'I have summoned the two of you here to give you a mission. As you are aware, Damian, Draco was given the mission to assassinate Dumbledore last year. I am re-giving him that mission and I'm also giving it to you.'

'Does that mean you're sending me back to Hogwarts?' Damian hesitantly questioned.

'It does. I am confident that Dumbledore wouldn't dare attack you as long as you are around other people. It would not benefit him to lose that annoying grandfather act he has been perfecting over the years.'

'Won't he be suspicious of my return?'

'Probably, but that's where Sanaro comes in.'

'It'll be my job to put Dumbledore's mind at ease as Snape,' Sanaro explained. 'I'll be telling him that Father sent you back to Hogwarts to get an education and to get rid of you because he doesn't trust you. I'll also be telling him that you have shown no interest in Father's ideals, which have led to numerous heated arguments. By doing this we may be able to trick Dumbledore into thinking he has a chance to manipulate you again, or at the very least, believe you're not a threat so he'll leave you alone.'

'This means I will grudgingly allow you to be friends with Mudbloods and Pure-blood traitors,' Voldemort added. 'I don't care how you murder Dumbledore as long as you're not caught. That's all I need is you in Azkaban. It was bad enough Sanaro nearly ending up in there.'

'I have a question,' said Damian. 'In the graveyard you were angry that no one came to find you. Did Sanaro?'

'No, he didn't,' Voldemort answered, while Sanaro moved uncomfortably. 'However, unlike my cowardly followers, Sanaro was being watched like a hawk by Dumbledore. He was also like a slave, doing nearly everything Dumbledore wanted to avoid being thrown in Azkaban.'

'Sometimes I think I would have preferred Azkaban,' Sanaro muttered.

'Be grateful you didn't end up there!' Voldemort said sternly. 'Knowing my luck you'd end up getting a Dementor's Kiss.' He turned to the teenagers. 'You boys are allowed to return to your friends now. You may tell them of your mission for help, but _only_ if they can be trusted. Is that understood?'

'Yes, sir,' Damian muttered.

'Yes, my Lord,' Draco replied at the same time.

'Very well, off you go.'

Draco bowed and followed Damian out of the room, leaving Voldemort and Sanaro alone.

'I was hoping your father would have forgotten about assassinating Dumbledore,' Draco confided in Damian. 'As much as I despise Dumbledore, I don't think I'm capable of ending his life. I'm not a killer.'

'Neither am I, but I think I can make an exception when it comes to Dumbledore, not to mention Moody,' Damian said darkly.

'Do you think we should tell Blaise, Daphne, and Tracey about our mission?' Draco questioned seriously.

'I don't know. I still don't know them that well, but I trust your judgement. I'm not too sure about the others, though.'

'You're right to think that,' said Draco. 'I wouldn't tell them about this either.'

'You told them last year,' Damian said pointedly.

'Not anything in detail,' said Draco. 'Crabbe and Goyle are too stupid to realise what should be kept a secret and Pansy's the biggest gossiper I know.'

'What of Nott and Bulstrode?'

'I've never been really close to them. We're friendly, but that's about all.'

'So we've got three maybes and five definite nots,' said Damian. He then sighed. 'This is going to be a long year.'

'Welcome to how I felt last year,' Draco agreed. 'At least this year I don't have to worry about sneaking Death Eaters into the school. Dumbledore would probably have taken measures to make sure it didn't happen again.'

'Let's not worry about it yet. I'm sure a good idea will come to us when we least expect it.'

**-THE EXPOSED TRUTH-**

During breakfast the next week, Draco's Hogwarts letter arrived in the mail.

'I'm surprised that this has actually been sent out,' Lucius commented, sounding and looking tired. 'I thought you would have been expelled for sure after letting Death Eaters into the school.'

'There wasn't enough evidence to convict Draco,' Sanaro stated as Lucius took in Draco's booklist. 'Dumbledore probably wants Draco in school too because it will limit Father's Death Eaters, or at least something along those lines.'

'Does it really matter?' asked Draco. 'What matters is I'm returning and I'm able to do as the Dark Lord has ordered.'

Lucius and Narcissa didn't look too thrilled about the mission.

'We'll go out later today and acquire your school supplies,' Narcissa informed Draco. 'Better to get it over and done with.'

'Damian and I'll go with you,' said Sanaro. 'Damian will need the same things as Draco.'

'Does Dumbledore even know that I'm returning?' Damian enquired.

'No, and he won't know until the start of term feast,' Sanaro answered with a sneaky smile. He couldn't wait to see Dumbledore's face when they entered the Great Hall.

A few hours later, Damian found himself standing in Diagon Alley with Sanaro, Draco and Narcissa.

'Let's get this over and done with,' Damian said as they headed down the street. 'Voldemort has given Sanaro and I have an early curfew.'

'And if you're not home by said time?' asked Draco.

'He'll probably coming looking for us,' Sanaro answered.

'And I don't think that's a good idea,' Damian added.

'Embarrassing, really,' said Sanaro. 'Anyway, let's start with Madam Malkin's. Getting their school robes fitted will take the longest. Father also wants Damian to have some more robes.'

The group spent an hour in Madam Malkin's, not that Narcissa minded. She enjoyed being allowed to browse the different racks of robes and trying them on. She even bought a few. In the meantime, Draco sat impatiently, mirroring Damian's impatience as he tried to stand still as Madam Malkin hemmed and pinned his robes for different occasions. If Damian had it his way, he would have just grabbed a handful of robes and would have left the room.

At the end of the hour, they left Madam Malkin's. She was glad to see the back of them. She was petrified of Damian, undoubtedly because of the article in the _Daily Prophet_, and Sanaro's presence made it worse. She also hadn't forgotten about the way the Malfoys had treated her the last time they were there.

After Madam Malkin's the group went to Flourish and Blotts, before going to the apothecary. They had to pick up the potion ingredients for school and Sanaro's private stocks at Hogwarts and Malfoy Manor were running low.

After they had everything they needed they stopped at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Draco and Damian has made many plans on how to annoy Dumbledore, they just needed the equipment. This led to an argument with Sanaro, who didn't approve of Damian being near the Weasleys. However, he eventually gave in and allowed Damian to have it his way. As he followed Damian into the shop he prayed Voldemort wouldn't hear about their visit.

By the time Damian joined Draco, his friend had already picked out a number of handy items. Damian soon added to his pile. Neither of the boys would answer Narcissa's questions as to why they were buying so much. Sanaro knew what they were up to as he had overheard their plans.

'Damian, hurry up,' Sanaro told his brother ten minutes later. 'We've got to be home soon.'

'Don't worry, we've got everything we need now,' Damian answered. 'Just let me pay for all this and then we can go.'

'You can't pay for all of them,' Draco argued. 'Let me pay for half.'

'If you insist, but allow me to buy them all first,' said Damian. 'I don't think they'd sell anything to you, not after last year when you used one of their products to help sneak the Death Eaters in.'

'And you think they'll sell it to you?' asked Sanaro. 'Like everyone else, they will know whose son you are.'

'Sanaro, it's Fred and George. They don't care about stuff like that. They're not shallow people.'

'I hope you're right,' Sanaro sighed as Damian stole his money bag and headed over to the counter.

While Draco and Narcissa went outside to wait, Sanaro remained close by to play the protective older brother.

Damian was hoping that one of Fred and George's staff members would be serving as he did have some doubt as to where he now stood with the Weasley twins. He wasn't in luck; Fred was at the counter with George standing behind him sorting out the shelves behind the counter. Out the corner of his eye he could see Sanaro watching him closely.

'Harry – I mean – Damian?' said Fred, taken back by Damian's presence.

'Hey, Fred... George,' Damian greeted with a cautious smile.

'We're a more than a little surprised to see you,' Fred stated. 'We thought for sure that your father would have locked you away from the world, never to see the light of day again.'

'You don't seem put off by my heritage,' Damian noted as Fred put everything into two bags.

'Why should we?' George questioned. 'Just because your father is the Dark Lord doesn't mean you're evil. You aren't your parents.'

'If only everyone saw it that,' Damian sighed.

'In an idealistic world they would,' said Fred. 'Who's that man your with? I recognised the Malfoys but not him. Is he a Death Eater your father sent to protect you?'

'No, that's my brother, Sanaro,' Damian answered.

'Brother!' they gasped in unison.

'You-Know-Who had more than one kid!' George was almost speechless.

'Yeah, it's just me and my brother.'

'Is he who you're pranking?' asked Fred.

'Don't tempt me!' Damian laughed. 'Anyway, how much do I owe you?'

'No charge,' George said firmly.

'Thanks. Listen, I've got to go. Voldemort has Sanaro and I on a curfew and if we're not home on time, all hell will break loose.

'Understandable,' said George. 'It was good seeing that you're alright, Damian, and if you ever need us to bust you out or something, just let us know.'

'And be safe,' Fred added.

'I will,' Damian promise. 'See you around.'

Damian then left the store with Sanaro to meet the Malfoys.

'How much do I owe you?' asked Draco, taking one of the bags off Damian.

'Nothing,' Damian answered.

'Damian, I'm not going to allow you to pay for all of them,' Draco said firmly.

'Then give me half of zero sickles.'

'What?' Draco was bemused.

'The Weasley twins gave him everything for free,' Sanaro explained, taking pity on Draco, while Damian tried not to laugh.

'Seriously? But they wouldn't even give their brother a discount, so what makes you so special?'

'I gave them my winnings from the Triwizard Tournament,' Damian explained. 'They feel like they owe me. How did you know Ron wasn't getting discounts?

'I heard him complaining to Finnigan about it once,' Draco said dismissingly. 'I guess you were right, they don't care about who your father is.'

'Told you the Weasleys wouldn't betray me.'

'Just because the twins don't care, doesn't mean the rest of their family will be the same,' Sanaro warned.

'Whatever.'

**-THE EXPOSED TRUTH-**

The rest of the school holidays seemed to fly by and before Damian knew it, he was standing before Voldemort listening to his father lecture him about not doing anything stupid. During this time, Sanaro was standing in the corner, looking highly amused, until Voldemort started on him. Then it was Damian's turn to be amused.

Eventually, Narcissa took both Damian and Draco to King's Cross Station. Both boys then said bye and went to find an empty compartment. They didn't have much trouble locating one.

'Don't you have to do your Prefect duties?' Damian asked as he took his seat next to the window.

'I do, but that's only when the train starts moving,' Draco answered. 'There's no hurry. Besides, I don't want to leave you by yourself or with someone who you dislike.'

'Thanks – in coming Pansy.'

Draco barely had time to turn around and take anything in before he found Pansy kissing him like she hadn't seen him in years. Damian coughed pointedly, feeling uncomfortable. Pansy broke away from Draco and faced Damian.

'Hello, Damian,' she said icily.

'Pansy,' Damian replied civilly.

'We should go,' Pansy informed Draco, referring to their Prefect duties.

'We've got plenty of time,' Draco said dismissingly, ignoring her hinted message. She wanted to be with Draco without Damian.

Pansy wasn't happy with this, but she didn't say anything. She knew it would be useless arguing with Draco. Draco and Pansy did leave, though, when Blaise turned up seeing as he would be able to give Damian some company. Damian still struggled to get along with the other Slytherins boys.

The trip to Hogwarts went by without any dramas, something Damian was grateful for. No one came to their compartment, which meant no one recognised Damian.

By the time they arrived at Hogwarts, the Slytherins were all dressed in their school robes while Damian remained in casual attire. He had an invisibility cloak in hand. The Slytherins were one of the last groups off the train, which allowed Damian to move freely under the invisibility cloak. They then climbed into two different carriages.

Once they were inside the Hogwarts grounds, Damian whispered, 'See you later,' in Draco's ear, before heading off to the place he was to meet Sanaro. Draco and the others had to be checked for dark equipment.

Sanaro ended up meeting up with Damian just before Dumbledore started his start of term speech.

Damian watched as Severus Snape arrived at the meeting spot before revealing himself.

'How'd you get away?' Damian asked as Sanaro dropped his Glamour.

'As far as Dumbledore is concerned, I'm checking on a potion I'm brewing,' Sanaro answered. 'I even have a potion brewing to make my lie more realistic.'

'Tell me again why you and Voldemort want me to make a grand entrance,' Damian said as he and his brother entered the castle.

'I just want to annoy Dumbledore. He's been driving me insane,' said Sanaro. 'We also need to get you re-sorted into Slytherin. I'll have to bewitch the Sorting Hat to trick it into putting you into Slytherin.'

'No need. It'll do it willingly.'

'What makes you so sure?' Sanaro questioned curiously.

'It wanted to Sort me into Slytherin but I told it to put me in Gryffindor,' Damian admitted.

'Go figures,' Sanaro muttered, stopping at the entrance to the Great Hall.

They could hear the clatter of silverware slowly subsiding as Dumbledore began to address the students.

'You ready?' asked Sanaro.

'Let's just get this over and done with,' said Damian. 'I hate being in the spot light.'

'I know, but this has to be done,' Sanaro said understandingly. Ever since they found out they were brothers, Damian and Sanaro had become closer every minute they spent together.

While Damian implemented the Occlumency skills Sanaro had been teaching him, making his face unreadable, Sanaro pushed open the Great Hall doors. Dumbledore immediately broke off, while everyone turned to see who the intruder was. There was mixed reactions; some were curious, some were frightened, while others were indifferent. Dumbledore, however, was shocked. He couldn't believe his eyes. He never thought that he would see Damian again so soon. Nor did he expect to see the boy standing so comfortably next to Sanaro. He had really mucked up this time, but he figured that Voldemort was now giving him a golden opportunity.

'Sorry to interrupt that illuminating speech, Dumbledore,' Sanaro sneered as he walked confidently into the Hall with Damian close behind.

'How did you get in here?' Dumbledore demanded.

'Now that would be telling,' Sanaro answered. 'We wouldn't want to make it easy on you.'

'What are you doing here?'

'You forgot to send my brother's school letter out to him, so I thought I would personally come and see to it that he is on the books,' Sanaro answered calmly. 'We've already been to the School Governors about this too, encase you purposely didn't send out his Hogwarts letter, and they have no problem with Damian attending Hogwarts for he has no criminal record and has shown no evidence that he'll hurt another student. With that said, I'm also here to see to it that Damian is resorted into his correct House in order to undo the mistake he made in his first year.'

'Then after the feast I will take him up to my office and –'

'No,' Sanaro interrupted, eyes narrowing dangerously. 'You will do it now! The Dark Lord doesn't want Damian anywhere near you in private.'

'Very well,' Dumbledore said before summoning the Sorting Hat. Moments later it came flying into the Hall and into Dumbledore's hand.

With a lazy flick of his wand, Sanaro made the Hat leave Dumbledore's hands and into his own. He then put it on Damian's head.

'Well, well, well,' the Sorting Hat said in Damian's ear. 'The youngest Heir of Slytherin has decided to go into his ancestral House.'

_You knew that I was the Heir of Slytherin!_ Damian exclaimed through his thoughts. _Why didn't you tell me?_

'Of course I knew,' it answered. 'I can see all of your thoughts and memories, including your first memories that reside on a subconscious level. As for not telling you, you never asked.'

_Why would I even think to ask that when I thought the Potters were my parents?_

The Sorting Hat never answered. Instead it merely cried out to the Hall, 'Slytherin!'

No one clapped; they just remained silent, too shocked and fearful to do anything. Damian handed the Sorting Hat to Sanaro, who handed it to Pansy.

'I assume the seventh year boys' dormitory is being altered as we speak?' said Sanaro.

Dumbledore only nodded in response. He was seething over how Sanaro was able to enter his school and boss him around. He was the headmaster!

'Good. I also want _all_ of my brother's belongings returned to him,' Sanaro ordered. 'If he finds anything missing, you will have me to deal with. If anything has been damaged, I want it replaced. If you don't we'll place charges.'

'I can assure you, we have not touched his belongings,' replied Dumbledore.

'We shall see. You boy!' Sanaro suddenly barked, pointing at Draco. 'Help my brother settle in as I can see your Head of House is unavailable.' He pretended to scan the teachers' table.

'Yes, sir,' said Draco, playing along. He headed for the exit.

'Bye, Sanaro,' Damian said, before following Draco out of the Great Hall.

'I'm glad that's over,' Damian said to Draco, once they were out of sight and hearing.

'I bet,' Draco commented. 'I've never seen anyone look at you so fearfully before.'

'Have you already forgotten our second year when everyone thought I had opened the Chamber of Secrets?'

'I did actually,' Draco admitted, 'but they were all right about one thing.'

'What's that?'

'You are the Heir of Slytherin.'

Damian laughed at that.

A couple of minutes later, the pair stopped in front of the bare stretch of a damp wall.

'Did Sanaro give you a tour or something before you came into the Great Hall?' Draco enquired, after giving the password, "Slytherins are Supreme."

'No, why?' asked Damian, entering the Slytherin Common Room.

'You just seemed to know where our common room was, is all,' Draco answered as they sat down in front of the fireplace on emerald armchairs.

'That's because I did know where it was,' Damian admitted. 'I've known since our second year.'

'Dare I ask how?'

'Ron, Hermione and I made some Polyjuice Potion in secret and snuck in here to find out who the Heir of Slytherin was. We thought it was you at the time, so we took on the disguise of Crabbe and Goyle. You unknowingly led us here and let us inside. You also informed us where your father hid all his valuable Dark Arts stuff to avoid them being detected in raids.'

'I hate you,' Draco said with a laugh. 'God, I feel like an idiot!'

'You shouldn't. There was no way for you to know that we weren't Crabbe and Goyle. Remember Moody? Dumbledore didn't know that his friend was being impersonated.'

'Knowing Dumbledore, it wouldn't have surprised me if he had of actually known and was playing dumb,' Draco muttered.

* * *

**Azaelia Silmarwen Facebook page:** link on profile  
**Written:** 20 April 2014  
**Updated:** N/A**  
Beta:** BETA WANTED

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT CLAIM OWNERSHIP OVER THE ORIGINAL COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL IN THIS STORY. THIS IS A NON-PROFIT FANDUB CREATED BY FANS, FOR FANS. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED, FAIR USE ONLY.**


	9. Loyalties Revealed

**CHAPTER NINE: LOYALTIES REVEALED**

Early the next morning, all six seventh year boys were rudely awoken by the loud screeching of a snowy white owl trying to get out of her locked cage. While the other boys groggily sat up to see what was going on, Damian leaped out of bed, being able to recognise that screech anywhere. However, he ended up being tangled up in his bed sheets, resulting in him falling hard on the cold floor. Draco saw this and started laughing. Damian ignored him in favour of Hedwig.

'Oh, Hedwig,' he said, trying to open the cage door. He had to use Alohomora to unlock it. 'Are you alright, girl?'

The moment Damian opened the cage door; Hedwig jumped out and flew around the room, before landing on her master's shoulder. She affectionately nibbled on his ear as he gently crested her soft chest.

'Why do I get the feeling Hedwig's been looked up since I left?' Damian muttered darkly.

'She probably has been,' said Draco. 'She's not a common barn owl, which makes her too easily recognised. Dumbledore must have thought she's lead reporters to you and you would spill the beans on him.'

'That's no reason to lock her up,' Damian said grumpily as he examined his owl. 'They seem to have been feeding her, at least.'

With a sigh, Damian got up and placed Hedwig gently on his bed, before turning his attention to his trunk, which had been returned. He opened it and began to check that everything was still there. As he did this, he made two piles of clothes; one pile was of keepers while the other was the rubbish pile. The latter of the two was the biggest as it contained Dudley Dursley's old clothes and his Gryffindor uniform.

'Anything missing?' Draco asked once Damian's trunk was empty.

'Dad's – I mean – James Potter's invisibility cloak is missing,' Damian answered. 'And the Marauder's Map's missing too.'

'What's a Marauder's Map?' Blaise asked blankly.

'It's a magical map of the school that James Potter, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew made when they were here at Hogwarts,' Damian answered. 'It shows where everyone is at every minute of every day. It also shows the seven secret passages out of the castle. You can see why it and my invisibility cloak weren't returned to me.'

Damian sighed. Just thinking of the invisibility cloak made him wonder if James and Lily knew about Voldemort being his father and if they really loved him. That led to similar thoughts about Sirius and Remus. He also wondered how he ended up with the Potters and the prophecy. Did that mean Neville was actually the Chosen One?'

'Where's your Firebolt?' Draco's question interrupted Damian's thoughts as he looked around.

'It's not here,' Damian said bitterly. 'Out of all my possessions, he's stolen my most valuable possessions. Surely he would have realised I would have noticed them missing. Besides Hedwig, I treasure them most.'

With a growl, Damian grabbed his school robes and stormed out of the room to the bathroom to get changed. Draco entered to get dressed himself as Damian finished dressing.

'I'm going to see Sanaro,' Damian informed his friend quietly. 'Dumbledore won't get away with this. I'll see you at breakfast.'

Gathering Hedwig to let her outside for a desperately needed flight, Damian stormed through the corridors to Sanaro's quarters.

Sanaro was still asleep when Damian arrived, so in order to wake his older brother up, he conjured ice-cold water and poured it over Sanaro. It worked like a charm. Sanaro jumped out of bed with a yelp, before glaring at Damian.

'What was that for?' he yelled. 'Haven't you ever heard of an alarm clock?'

'Think of it as pay back for waking me up like that the other day,' Damian said calmly.

'What are you doing here?' Sanaro said with a yawn.

'I got all of my belongings back except for my Firebolt, invisibility cloak, and Marauder's Map,' Damian answered.

'I can understand he cloak and the map missing – Dumbledore can use them for the Order and to keep an eye on you – but why would he want your Firebolt? It makes no sense.'

'I don't care if it makes sense or not, I want my belongings back. He had no right to take them.'

'You do realise I was lying last night about the Ministry? We've got a handful of Death Eaters within its walls and if they do anything to support you, Dumbledore will know they are Death Eaters. We are powerless. I can threaten him and we'll see what happens. Worst case scenario, we'll have to get you a new broom and you have lost the map and cloak for good. I'm sorry.'

'Don't be,' Damian said glumly. 'It's not your fault.'

**-THE EXPOSED TRUTH-**

Damian's mood did not improve as the morning wore on for his first class was Potions with the other three Houses. No one, except for Draco, Blaise, Tracey and Pansy, would talk loudly around him. Instead, they would either glare, stare, or whisper to their friends about him. Damian pointedly ignored them as he sat in between Draco and Tracey. However, at one point he looked over at Ron and Hermione. He didn't like what he saw.

Ron was glaring at him, his features showing nothing but hatred. It looked as though the red-head wanted nothing more than to curse Damian, but was restraining himself. Hermione, however, managed to give him a small hesitant smile when he caught her eyes. He could see that she was scared and wary, as well as being in denial. She also looked like she was about to cry.

Slughorn wasn't any better. If he wasn't near Damian or looking at him he was fine, but the moment he looked at the boy, he lost all trails of thought and became very incompetent. He almost blew up the classroom at one point and would have too if Hermione hadn't stopped him. Damian assumed he was affecting Slughorn because he had known Voldemort as a teenager. Maybe he could see similarities between the two of them and it made him believe Damian would follow in Voldemort's footsteps.

'I'm glad that's over,' Damian grumbled to the other Slytherins as they headed for their Defence Against the Dark Arts class. 'That was painful. Did you see the way Ron was looking at me?'

'Still think he'd never betray you?' asked Draco.

'I don't know,' Damian said with a sigh. 'Later I'll find and have a chat with him.'

'Good luck with that,' said Tracey. 'In the meantime, we get to enjoy the company of more Gryffindors.'

'On the bright side, we've got Snape,' said Blaise. 'He's not going to act like an incompetent fool with Damian in his class. Nor are we at risk of being blown up again.'

'I can understand why Slughorn was weird around me,' said Damian. 'He taught my father and can probably see some similarities... or is imagining them.'

'That's still no –'

'Alright, next subject please!' Pansy rudely interrupted.

'We're sorry, Pansy,' Blaise said sardonically. 'Haven't we been speaking enough about you?'

With a huff, Pansy turned to Draco, who was trying not to laugh.

'Sit next to me in Defence, Draco,' she practically ordered.

'Sit with Millicent,' replied Draco. 'Damian and I are working together this year.'

'Of course you are,' Pansy said coldly, before storming over to Bulstrode and Daphne, who were outside the classroom talking.

'Talk about being jealous,' Blaise muttered.

'She'll get over it,' Draco said indifferently as Sanaro opened the classroom door.

Fortunately, their Defence class was a lot better than their Potions lesson. Maybe it was because Sanaro didn't tolerate students not paying attention, or maybe it was only because Damian was actually giving his bother his full attention, that Damian didn't notice anyone glaring at him.

When lunch finally arrived, Damian and Draco practically inhaled their lunch before heading for the library. They told their friends that they were going to do their homework when they were really going to plan Dumbledore's demise. However, as they headed for the library, they took a shortcut down a secret, deserted passage, or at least they thought it would be deserted. About halfway down they heard voices.

'Now that we're all together, I can tell you why I asked you all here,' said the familiar voice of Ron Weasley. 'You are the most trusted members of the DA and Dumbledore is asking for your help.'

Damian and Draco glanced at each other as they stopped before a corner bend to listen.

'Dumbledore is asking for our help?' Padma Patil gasped.

'Yes,' replied Ron. 'He wants and needs us to spy on Damian Riddle and the Slytherins.'

'Why?' asked Neville Longbottom.

'He's You-Know-Who's son, Neville!' Ron answered as though he was talking to an idiot. 'Just think about it; You-Know-Who's son being in Slytherin means a lot more potential Death Eaters.'

'We don't know that, Ron,' Hermione said quietly. 'We've seen no evidence to suggest Harry – er – Damian has changed.'

'Wake up and smell the cauldron, Hermione. He's a bloody Slytherin!'

'What's that got to do with anything?' Hermione cried angrily. 'He's our friend, Ronald. Damian is friends with everyone in this passage. Besides, if you'd recall, his brother said that they were correcting a mistake Damian made in his first year. Damian was going to originally be placed in Slytherin, yet chose not to.'

'That only shows he's been lying to us from the start, Hermione!' Ginny intervened angrily. 'Why are you defending a son of a monster?'

Ginny's harsh words cut painfully through Damian. He couldn't believe the girl he loved was betraying him. Draco and Sanaro were right; she never truly loved him, only his fame and money.

'How can you ask that, Ginny?' Hermione fumed. 'He's your boyfriend!'

'Not anymore he's not!' Ginny declared. 'I don't want him to kill me when my back is turned.'

'Damian is _not_ a killer!'

'How do we know that?' Ron snapped back.

'Maybe Ron and Ginny are right, Hermione,' Ernie Macmillan commented. 'Everything we knew about him is a lie. For all we know, he could have been playing us for years. I mean, how many times has he escaped You-Know-Who now? Enough times to make it rather unbelievable for someone our age.'

'What are you talking about, Ernie?' Hannah Abbott questioned.

'Think about it. In our first year he escaped his father and saved the Philosopher's Stone. What if that was all set up to gain our trust? I mean, how many eleven year olds can do that?'

'Don't be ridiculous!' Hermione huffed. 'Dumbledore went down after Damian. If there was something off Dumbledore would have noticed.'

'Then explain our second year with the Chamber of Secrets,' Ernie argued. 'He just happened to figure out where it was and knew how to get in? He was also found at the scene of the crime of most attacks. Most of us believed he was the Heir of Slytherin and he is! I bet you he was in on all of the attacks, before ending it all to be seen as a hero and to get our trust. He was never in any danger going down there and for all we know that basilisk might still be alive.'

'Ginny saw it dead.'

'Was it really, though? Or was it pretending to be dead?'

'Do you think it was Damian who murdered Cedric then?' Hannah asked quietly, fearing the worst.

'It is a possibility,' Ernie said sadly. 'Maybe they needed a sacrifice to revive You-Know-Who.'

Damian had heard enough, so he made his and Draco's presence known.

'That's not true,' he said quietly, scaring the DA members. 'I never wanted Cedric dead. He was murdered because he was a witness.'

'What are you doing here?' Ron demanded as he and several others drew their wands, aiming them at both Draco and Damian. 'How'd you get here, anyway?'

'Who do you think showed you this passage?' Damian snapped, ignoring the wands. 'Draco and I were heading for the library when we heard you, if you must know.'

'So you decided to eavesdrop?'

'Sorry that we can't turn off our hearing, Weasley,' Draco sneered.

'And I'm glad we did hear,' Damian informed Ron coldly. 'At least now I can see who my real friends are. I can't believe you'd push aside six years of friendship just because Voldemort is my father. I am not Voldemort!'

'And you expect us to believe that?' Ron said with a hollow laugh. 'You willingly went to live with him.'

'Only because I trusted my brother and no longer felt safe around Dumbledore!' Damian angrily retorted.

'Damian, don't waste your breath on him,' Draco said suddenly. 'If he was really your friend, he wouldn't turn his back on you again.' Everyone knew that Draco was referring to the Triwizard Tournament.

'Shove off, Malfoy!' Ron growled. 'We all know that you're only friends with him because your _master _ordered you to.'

'Unlike you, Weasley, I'm not friends with someone because of their fame and money.' Ron's commented didn't even affect Draco. He turned to Damian. 'Let's go. I don't want to waste my break on Weasley.'

'With pleasure,' Damian agreed.

Together they squeezed passed the DA members and continued on their way.

'Do you want to talk about it?' Draco asked quietly. He could see that Damian was both hurt and angry with what happened.

'I'll be okay,' replied Damian. 'I'm used to it now.'

'I hate how you can say that so casually,' Draco remarked as they left the secret passage and entered the library, where they started to plan. They didn't get very far as they were interrupted moments later by Hermione, Luna and Neville.

'Can we speak to you, Har – Damian?' Hermione questioned nervously.

'Alright,' Damian answered hesitantly as Draco casually hid what they were working on, replacing their notes with school work.

'Damian, why did you return to Voldemort?'

'Do you remember the conversation we had in the hospital wing before I left?' Damian began. 'The one about Dumbledore abandoning me to die? You were right. He did abandon me because he wanted me dead. I heard it from his own mouth. I was nothing more than a pawn to him. One that could easily be disposed of once he was finished with me. He thought it would be hilarious if the Riddles destroyed each other. That's why Sanaro took me to safety.'

'I knew that scenario didn't seem right,' Hermione muttered.

'What are you going to do now?' Neville questioned.

'I want Dumbledore dead for everything he has done to me. I want him dead before he can kill me or Sanaro.'

'What about Voldemort?' asked Hermione.

'What about him?' asked Damian. 'Apart from agreeing with him that Dumbledore needs to go, I have nothing to do with him. I'm closer to Sanaro.'

'And your views on Muggles and Muggle-borns?'

Damian's expression softened immensely.

'It's only my family knowledge that has changed, Hermione, not my views, except on Dumbledore,' he said. 'Besides, if I hated Muggle-borns, do you honestly think I would be talking to you now?'

Hermione let out a sob, mixed with a laugh, as she went over and hugged Damian tightly.

'I'm so glad the rumours about your aren't true!' she cried.

'I never believe rumours about friends,' Luna stated.

'That's what I like about you, Luna,' said Damian. 'You are a loyal friend, who sees the goodness in everyone. You are one of those unique people who never discriminates or judges.'

Damian looked at Neville.

'You have always been an excellent friend to me and I would be foolish to throw such a friendship away,' he said. 'Until the day you change for the worst, I will be your friend. Even then I will try to make you see the error of your ways. You have been nothing but kind and loyal... these are things people cannot truly fake, nor can it be destroyed over night.'

'Thank you, Neville. I should have known you wouldn't turn your back on me. You never have.'

'I would be a horrible friend if I did,' Neville said with a dismissing shrug.

'I guess we'll see you around then,' said Hermione.

'Yeah, I'll see you guys later,' Damian said with a smile. He then watches as his friends left.

'I don't mean to ruin the moment, but how will your father react to you being friends with a Muggle-born?' Draco asked, pulling out their assassination plans and notes.

'Not well, probably,' replied Damian. 'I'll speak to Sanaro about it. I'm having dinner with him tonight.'

'What am I supposed to tell anyone if they ask where you are?'

'I don't know. Tell them I went for a walk to clear my head.'

'You know how suspicious that'll look.'

Damian shrugged uncaringly, looking into different poisons.

**-THE EXPOSED TRUTH-**

'How was your first day back?' Sanaro asked over dinner that night.

'I've had better days,' replied Damian.

'That bad, huh?'

'I just hate everyone staring and talking about me,' Damian complained. 'I also don't like being feared. I can't understand how Voldemort can encourage it.'

'You're not Father,' Sanaro said simply, 'and don't call him that.'

'Habit. I feel comfortable calling him that.'

'You're a weird child,' said Sanaro, shaking his head.

'Thanks.'

'Is the fear the only thing bothering you?'

'No. It hurts me to know that I am now just the "son of a monster",' Damian said sadly. 'I can't believe people think that just because my family heritage has been exposed, my views and personality must have too.'

'I'm sure not everyone thinks that,' Sanaro said patiently. 'And those who do believe that need a kick up the bum. They aren't worth your time.'

'I know,' Damian sighed. 'I only wish I had listened to you and Draco about Ron and Ginny. Their betrayal has hurt me the most.'

'Does that mean you and Weasley have broken up?' Sanaro asked hopefully.

Damian nodded glumly.

'Thank goodness,' Sanaro said happily. 'I didn't want her as a sister-in-law. It's bad enough having her in class.'

Damian couldn't help it, he just started laughing. Even though the break up had hurt him, Sanaro's comment was funny.

'Weasley isn't worth your grief,' Sanaro said gently. 'Girls like her never are. One day you will meet a girl who will love you for who you are regardless of your power, fame, wealth and family. When you do, you'll know what love truly is.'

'How do you know?'

'Because that's the same advice Father gave me. He says that's what it was like for him and Mother.'

'He can love?' Damian wasn't convinced.

'I know it's hard to believe, but he does have a soft side, he just doesn't show it. He doesn't want people to think him weak, nor does he want to be hurt again.'

'But he's a _dark lord_,' Damian stressed. 'No one can hurt him emotionally.'

'Not true,' Sanaro disagreed. 'He is human. You didn't see him when Mother died and when he thought you were dead. He was a mess. Since then he's tried to avoid caring, because he doesn't want to feel that pain again.'

'Is that why he's had nothing to do with me?'

'Yes, it is. Give him time. He'll come around.'

'I'll believe that when I see it.' Damian then looked slyly at Sanaro. 'So... do you have a girlfriend?'

'As a matter of fact, I do,' Sanaro admitted, suddenly becoming awkward.

'Is she pretty?'

'Beautiful,' Sanaro answered with a fond smile appearing on his face. 'She's a kind-hearted and talented witch, who always sees the good in people, especially when that person cannot see it themselves.'

'What does Voldemort think of her?'

'He tolerates her,' replied Sanaro, sounding annoyed. 'She's a Muggle-born, which means Father doesn't approve of our relationship in that regard. He grudgingly admits, however, that she's a talented witch, which means he respects her. She's also able to stand up to him, which he admires. When he returned, she argued with him to spare your life. Naturally he didn't listen, but she always tried.'

'Why would she risk her life for me?' Damian inquired, slightly touched by her unknown help.

Sanaro didn't answer immediately.

'She's your adoptive mother,' he said eventually. 'Lily's love for you is strong.'

'Mum – er – Lily is still live!' Damian gasped. 'Is that why I didn't see her appear along with Dad – James in the graveyard?'

Sanaro nodded.

'And that's why I hear Voldemort telling her to stand aside when Dementors come near me,' Damian breathed. 'He spared her because of your love for her.'

'Yes. He didn't want me to feel the same pain he felt when the woman he loved died, despite his disapproval. I think he hoped that it was just a phase I was going through.'

'Lily was part of the Order of the Phoenix.'

'And when I was able to show Dumbledore for who he truly was, she immediately turned her back on him,' Sanaro explained. 'Took me a long time to convince her too.'

'Because you're dating a Muggle-born, does that mean Voldemort will be alright with me being friends with Hermione?' Damian asked hopefully.

'At first he might be annoyed, but in time he'll learn to accept it, like he has with Lily.'

* * *

**Azaelia Silmarwen Facebook page:** link on profile  
**Written:** 20 April 2014  
**Updated:** N/A**  
Beta:** BETA WANTED

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT CLAIM OWNERSHIP OVER THE ORIGINAL COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL IN THIS STORY. THIS IS A NON-PROFIT FANDUB CREATED BY FANS, FOR FANS. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED, FAIR USE ONLY.**


	10. Second Chances II

**CHAPTER TEN: SECOND CHANCES**

When Damian woke the next day, he hoped that it would be a better day then the last, but it wasn't. As was expected, everyone's behaviour towards him was the same. Damian doubted it would ever change any time soon.

'Just ignore them,' Draco said as he finished his breakfast.

'Easier said than done,' Damian growled. 'Don't they have anything else to talk about?'

'For once I agree with you,' Pansy said nastily.

'Thanks, Pansy,' Damian said coldly.

'We could start a few rumours if you'd like,' Daphne offered.

'I am seriously tempted to accept,' Damian laughed slightly.

Despite Damian never actually agreeing to the rumour spreading, the Slytherin girls went ahead and started one. Daphne and Tracey started it to help Damian while Pansy only helped so she didn't have to listen to discussions on Damian. They ended up getting the school buzzing with the idea that Ginny Weasley was pregnant. They also went out of their way to embarrass and humiliate Ginny.

All morning that's all Damian heard about. Draco confined in him that it was Daphne's idea to use Ginny to get revenge for breaking his heart. When Damian thanked Daphne, she pretended not to know what he was talking about while her eyes said otherwise.

After their Transfiguration lesson, Damian excused himself to go to the bathroom, saying he would see his friends at lunch.

When he entered the Great Hall, however, he was not prepared for what he saw. The Gryffindor table looked as though a bomb had hit it. It was on fire with the table littered with broken crockery and food. Gryffindor students were also covered in food and had retreated to join the Ravencalws and Hufflepuffs at their tables.

As shocking as that was, it wasn't what got Damian's attention. Standing in the isle between the Gryffindor and Slytherin tables was Ron, Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan, Parvati Patil, and Lavender Brown all glaring at Neville, Draco, Blaise, Tracey and Daphne. Behind the four Slytherins and Neville was a crying Hermione, who was being comforted by Luna. In between the two groups was a furious Sanaro and infuriated McGonagall.

'I have never seen such disgusting behaviour,' McGonagall was saying angrily as Damian went over to Hermione. 'Fifty points shall be taken from each of you.'

'And you will all serve detention with either Mr Filch or myself for a week,' Sanaro added as he extinguished the fire. 'I suggest you all run along. If we find you duelling again, you will be suspended or expelled.'

Silence followed this statement, in which Ron and his friends stormed out of the Hall, followed shortly by Damian and his friends, who went and sat down by the lake.

'Someone care to tell me what that was all about?' Damian asked the group at large.

'Hermione, Luna and I informed Ron that we weren't going to spy on you and how he was wrong about you changing,' Neville answered. 'We got into a fight, which resulted in Ron upsetting Hermione again.'

'I can't believe I ever liked him,' Hermione sobbed. Damian drew her close to comfort her, just like he did the year before.

'Then what happened?' Damian inquired.

'We then stepped in,' Blaise answered. 'Draco told us how they were still your friends so we decided to help them, seeing as you weren't around. They didn't appreciate us meddling and before we knew it, we were throwing curses at each other.'

'There's something you should also know, Damian,' Hermione said quietly. 'Dumbledore has the DA members planning something, which involves your demise.'

'Unfortunately, we don't know what it is,' Neville said bitterly. 'They broke off when they saw us. They must have known already that we wouldn't react well to their plans, especially when we reacted negatively to the idea of spying on you.'

'Thanks for the heads up,' said Damian. 'I'll make sure to watch my back. They'll regret betraying me.'

From that point forward, Hermione, Neville and Luna spent their free time with Damian and his friends. At first Damian's friends were all civil with each other, for Damian's sake, but as time wore on, they all began to grow closer, realising that they had more in common than they had initially thought. This was a friendship some Slytherins disapproved of while some teachers were concerned.

**-THE EXPOSED TRUTH-**

Over the next few weeks Damian found his lessons had become a lot more bearable. For some reason, having a Dark Lord's son in ones' class was no longer a big deal. Maybe it was because they didn't see Damian as a threat, or maybe there was something else at work.

Hermione and Neville were right to warn Damian about the DA for he was attacked on several occasions. Fortunately, he was never hurt and was able to defend himself. Unfortunately for the DA members who attacked him, Sanaro, by pure chance, always seemed to walk in on it. Damian had never seen Sanaro so angry. His mood did not improve when he discovered Dumbledore wouldn't suspend or expel them. They were immune, which suggested they were attacking on Dumbledore's orders.

Then they just stopped. Damian didn't know if they stopped as a ploy to lure him into a false sense of security or if Dumbledore had something else in mind. It wasn't long until Sanaro found out.

'I know why you're no longer being attacked,' Sanaro informed Damian as the two of them relaxed in his chambers. Dumbledore was away from the school again. 'The old coot apparently has found a way to entice you back to him.'

Damian snorted.

'Good luck with that,' he said. 'There's nothing he can do that will "entice" me back to his side.'

'Nevertheless, you need to be careful,' Sanaro warned.

'I will, relax. Have you told Voldemort?'

'Naturally I have. Just like you, he scoffed at the idea, but he agrees with me; you need to be careful. Dumbledore's manipulation knows no boundaries and he's had years to practice. It may be a good idea to inform your trusted friends of what we know. They can help keep you safe.'

Damian did as Sanaro suggested and informed his friends of what they had learnt. Most of them laughed at the idea of Damian joining Dumbledore again, while Hermione became serious.

'One of us is usually with you at all times, so I think it's safe to say he won't try anything when we're around,' she said. 'It's harder to fool two people than it is one. I think we should make sure you're never alone, just to be safe.'

'Dumbledore could always use the Imperious Curse on Damian,' Tracey commented.

'Highly unlikely,' Damian disagreed. 'I'm able to resist the curse. Even Voldemort can't control me that way.'

'But there are more than one way to control someone,' Daphne argued. 'They might drug your food.'

'Too risky,' said Draco. 'They don't know what Damian will eat or where he'll sit for his meals. They would most likely drug someone else's food. They wouldn't likely do it in front of him either.'

'Protecting you would be so much easier if we knew what he was up to,' Blaise grumbled to Damian.

'Whatever he's planning, he's taking a lot of care,' Damian said bitterly. 'Sanaro has spent nearly every waking hour trying to figure out Dumbledore's plan and he's Voldemort's best spy.'

'Maybe Dumbledore knows who he is,' said Neville.

'Believe me, if Dumbledore knew who Sanaro was in the Order, we'd all know about it.'

Silence fell amongst the group, which was broken when the bell sounded for the next class.

'I'll see you later,' Hermione said as she and Tracey got to their feet, followed by Luna. Hermione and Tracey had their Ancient Runes class, while Luna had Potions. Damian, Draco, Blaise, Neville and Daphne all had a spare.

'Have fun,' replied Daphne, while Damian gave them a wave, before taking his water out of his bag.

The friends all remained seated, lounging and talking, figuring their homework could wait. They enjoyed relaxing next to the quiet lake. At least they did until a familiar voice rang out to them.

'Why aren't you five in class?' McGonagall demanded, stopping before them carrying two boxes.

'We've got a spare, Professor,' Damian answered politely.

'In that case, two of you can help me with these boxes. Longbottom, Zabini; you can come with me.'

Grumbling, Blaise and Neville said bye to Daphne, Damian and Draco as they unwillingly followed McGonagall back to the castle, both of them carrying a box each.

'Why didn't she just use magic to carry the boxes?' Draco wanted to know.

'Who knows? I'm just glad she didn't ask me,' said Damian, before taking a sip of water from his drink bottle.

'Weasley alert,' Daphne said suddenly, glaring in the direction of the castle.

'Which one?' Damian groaned, not bothering to turn around.

'Your ex.'

This caught Damian's interest, so he turned around and looked. Ginny hadn't acknowledged him since their break up.

'What do you want, Weasley?' Draco asked, getting straight to the point.

'I want to talk to Damian,' Ginny answered calmly.

'Come to play with his heart some more?' Daphne growled. 'If you are, you can turn around and get lost!'

'Can I talk to you in private?' Ginny asked Damian, ignoring Daphne.

'Whatever you have to say to me you can say in front of my friends,' Damian answered.

'I just want to apologise for how I treated you when I found out you were You-Know-Who's son,' said Ginny, sounding sincere, as she knelt down next to him.

'Better late than never,' Daphne remarked coldly, and Damian couldn't help but agree with her.

He must have shown it on his face for Ginny said, 'I know. It took me a while to get my thinking straight, especially with Ron as a brother. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to realise this, but I truly do love you, Damian. Without you... I have nothing.'

'Corny much?' Daphne remarked as Draco snorted. Damian laughed at her comment. 'If you truly loved Damian you wouldn't have broken his heart in the first place. You're nothing more than a player.'

'That's not true!' Ginny looked genuinely hurt by Daphne's harsh words.

'What about your family?' Damian questioned. He was buying this as much as Daphne was, which was to say, he wasn't buying it at all.

'They can go and boil their heads if they can't see passed what they expect to see. I don't need their permission to love you.' Ginny took Damian's hand. 'Surly all those months we spent together means something to you.'

'It did, but not anymore,' Damian answered, pulling his hand out of her grip. 'Do you have any idea how painful it was for me to hear you call me a monster? Do you know how it feels to have the one person you loved stab you in the back when they were needed most?'

'Damian –'

'Save your breath, Ginny. It's over.'

'But –'

'Ginny, I can't trust you,' Damian commented as Draco walked off to deal with two duelling third years, 'and you can't have a relationship without any trust. How do I know you won't hurt me again? How can I ever trust you after that betrayal?'

'For being in love and supporting you, my family will likely disown me,' Ginny answered. 'Isn't that proof enough about how I feel?'

'And I'm supposed to believe –'

'DRACO!' Daphne cried, leaping to her feet and running towards her friend, who she had been watching. Damian immediately followed when he saw what had occurred. Draco was on his knees, his hands over his eyes, in agony.

Daphne immediately went to attend to Draco while Damian's attention was fixed on the third years, his hand on his wand encase they tried to attack him. He needn't have worried. The third years took one look at Damian before running off, scared. Damian went to Draco.

'Are you alright?' he asked.

'No.' Draco's voice was full of pain. 'They've used the Conjunctivitis Curse on me. Do the counter-curse now!'

'There is no counter-curse, remember?' said Daphne. 'Only the Oculus Potion can end the effects. We'll have to take you to the hospital wing.'

Damian then helped Draco to his feet and led his friend over to their belongings. Seeing as the Conjunctivitis Curse caused great pain to the victim's eyes, Draco was having trouble seeing.

'What are you still doing here?' Daphne growled when she saw Ginny was still there, sitting amongst their belongings.

'I was waiting for Damian to come back,' she answered.

'You wasted your time,' Damian informed her, gathering his belongings, while Daphne grabbed her own and Draco's. 'This conversation is over. Coming, Daphne?'

'I'll catch up with you,' Daphne answered, before watching as the two boys walked off. Once they were gone, she turned to Ginny with a warning. 'Stay away from Damian. If you do anything to hurt him again, you'll have me to deal with.'

'Wow, Greengrass, I never pegged you as the jealous type,' Ginny retorted coldly.

'Jealous of you? Ha! Don't make me laugh!'

'What's wrong? You worried Damian will pick me over you?' Ginny asked mockingly.

'Damian and I are just friends,' Daphne said stiffly, 'and he's not stupid enough to date someone like you again. He can do so much better.'

The girls then glared at each other, before Daphne turned and went after Damian and Draco. By the time she caught up with them, they were already in the hospital wing being seen to by Madam Pomfrey. Draco was sitting on a bed with Madam Pomfrey before him, helping him drink the Oculus Potion. Damian stood nearby, drinking his water, looking thoughtful.

'Whatcha thinking about?' Daphne asked quietly.

'Just about what Ginny said,' Damian answered.

'Can you believe all the garbage she said?' Daphne scoffed.

'Actually, I do.'

Daphne stared at him.

'You can't be serious!' she gasped.

'I've never been more serious. She was being sincere, I could see it.'

'But everything you just said –'

'I was angry and wasn't thinking properly.'

'Why would you want to be with someone like her?'

'You don't know Ginny like I do,' Damian answered patiently. 'She's smart, beautiful, talented, kind –'

'Kind enough to call you the son of a monster and betray you!' Daphne said angrily. She felt like reaching out and slap some sense back into him.

'She had every right to. I would have acted the same way if I were in her shoes.'

'I seriously doubt that,' Daphne grumbled. 'So what does this mean? Are you going to take her back?'

'I am.'

'Fine!' Daphne spat. 'But don't come crying to me when she breaks your heart again!'

Damian then watched as Daphne stormed out of the hospital wing, wondering what her problem was. However, Daphne wasn't the only one to disapprove of Damian's decision. All of his friends reacted negatively, but not as bad as Daphne. They all thought that Damian had lost his mind and tried to talk him out of it. All they achieved was making Damian angry, which resulted in a heated argument. Fortunately, they were able to get away from each other at dinner time as Damian was having dinner with Sanaro. These occasions only occurred when Dumbledore was away from the school.

Dinner went by alright with the two brothers laughing and talking like brothers normally do, but when they retired to Sanaro's sitting room, things started to go downhill as the topic turned to girls.

'Have there been any girls to capture your heart?' asked Sanaro.

'Well, there is this one girl I've been thinking about,' Damian admitted.

'And who might she be?' Sanaro asked as one of his knights dragged Damian's remaining rook off the board.

'Ginny Weasley.'

Sanaro started laughing.

'Yeah right! Seriously, who is she?'

'I wasn't joking.' Damian was getting defensive again, believing Sanaro would act the same way as his friends. His theory was correct.

Sanaro's laughter stopped abruptly and was replaced by a look of horror.

'You can't be serious!' he gasped. 'She dumped you! She hates you!'

'No, she doesn't!' Damian argued. 'She apologised for her behaviour earlier today and told me she still loved me. If you don't believe me then ask Draco or Daphne. They were with me at the time.'

'I believe you. What did you tell her?'

'I told her no, but I didn't mean it. I'm going to talk to her tomorrow to apologise and to ask her out.'

'I can't believe I'm hearing this!' Sanaro exclaimed, eyes wide. 'Damian, did you ever consider the possibility that she's only doing this to help Dumbledore entice you back? She's Dumbledore's weapon!'

'I don't believe that for a minute!' Damian said angrily. 'I love her and you can't stop me from feeling this way. I thought you'd understand, but you're just like everyone else.'

'Damian!' Sanaro called out after his brother as Damian stormed away.

Damian never hesitated or looked back.

**-THE EXPOSED TRUTH-**

The next morning Damian was still steamed with his friends, which was a mutual feeling with Daphne, so he didn't join them for breakfast. Instead, he stood in the doorway of the Great Hall looking for Ginny. He soon found her sitting with her brother and several other Gryffindor sixth and seventh years.

Knowing that it wouldn't be wise to walk over to them, Damian pulled out a piece of parchment from his bag and quickly wrote a note on it before casting a spell on the parchment so it folded itself into a white swan. He then made it fly over to Ginny before turning and leaving.

A few minutes later, Damian was standing by the lake under the shade of a huge tree, waiting for Ginny to show up. He didn't have to wait long.

'Hi, Damian,' she greeted cautiously, when she arrived. 'I got your message. What do you want to talk about?'

'I want to apologise for my behaviour yesterday,' said Damian. 'I was out of line.'

'I deserved it,' Ginny said dismissingly. 'Have you had a chance to think about what I said?'

'I have and my feelings for you are as strong today as they were when I first fell in love with you. If you're willing, I would like to pick up where we left off.'

Ginny answered by leaning forward and kissing him on the lips. They probably would have remained glued together if it hadn't been for the bell telling them to go to their first lesson.

'I hate it when the bell does that,' Ginny sighed, pulling away slowly. 'Meet you here at lunch time?'

'I wouldn't miss it,' Damian answered, before stealing another kiss.

* * *

**Azaelia Silmarwen Facebook page:** link on profile  
**Written:** 24 April 2014  
**Updated:** N/A**  
Beta:** BETA WANTED

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT CLAIM OWNERSHIP OVER THE ORIGINAL COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL IN THIS STORY. THIS IS A NON-PROFIT FANDUB CREATED BY FANS, FOR FANS. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED, FAIR USE ONLY.**


	11. Christmas Discoveries

**CHAPTER ELEVEN: CHRISTMAS DISCOVERIES**

Damian's and Ginny's relationship was all anyone seemed to be able to talk about over the next few months. There were those who couldn't understand why they were seeing each other and figured that their relationship wouldn't last, while there were others who thought that they were soul mates and their love was eternal.

Damian's friends still didn't agree with the relationship for they knew it would end with Damian's heart being broken again. They could all see that Ginny was using him for they had reached the same conclusion as Sanaro; Ginny Weasley was the weapon Dumbledore was using to entice Damian back into his grasp. They couldn't allow this to happen.

At first they all argued strongly with Damian on the subject, but all that did was make matters worse, so they did the next best thing. They ended up apologising to Damian, saying that they only wanted what was best for him, and pretended to approve of the relationship. They didn't, of course, but they needed to keep a secret eye on the pair, ready to intervene on a moment's notice. They figured Ginny would slip up and reveal herself to be a fraud eventually, but she never did.

A blink of an eye later, the Christmas holidays had arrived, which was a relief to all of Damian's friends. They wouldn't have to see Damian and Ginny snogging for a few weeks. Damian and Ginny, however, weren't thrilled. Normally they would have made plans to visit each other, but dared not under the circumstances. Ginny knew that her family wouldn't allow her to visit Damian nor him to visit them. Damian for his part didn't dare to make any plans for her to visit until he had spoken to Voldemort to see how he would react. He didn't want Ginny being killed on her visit.

And so Damian began his Christmas holidays without Ginny, but that didn't stop him from talking constantly about her. He ended up driving his family and the Malfoys insane; especially Draco who got most of it. Matters got worse when Narcissa brought up a Christmas party.

'I was wondering, my Lord, if you would allow the boys to hold a Christmas party for their friends,' Narcissa asked one night over dinner.

'I have no objections,' Voldemort answered indifferently.

'That's no surprise,' Sanaro whispered to Damian. 'Mother loved Christmas. Father probably thinks that she'll come back to haunt him if he stops either of us enjoying the holidays.'

Damian sniggered quietly.

'I'll need you boys to give me a list of your friends so I know who to invite,' Narcissa informed the boys.

'There's Blaise, Daphne and Tracey,' Draco said thoughtfully.

'What about the other Slytherin seventh years?' asked Lucius.

'We're not exactly friends anymore,' Draco informed his father.

'Aren't you and Pansy still together?'

'No. We broke up just before the holidays.' Draco grimaced at the memory. It had been a very public break up. 'She's extremely jealous of my friendship with Damian.'

'Is there anyone else you want to invite?' Narcissa enquired, getting back on task.

'Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood,' Draco said hesitantly.

'Good to see that some more purebloods have come to their senses,' Lucius muttered. 'Anyone else?'

Draco and Damian exchanged a look.

'Um... yes,' Damian said, looking at his father. 'A Muggle-born named Hermione Granger.'

Voldemort groaned.

'You're as bad as your brother,' he grumbled. 'Fine. If I can tolerate your brother dating a Muggle-born, I can tolerate you being friends with one.'

'Thanks,' said Damian. 'Is it alright if Ginny comes too?'

Draco and Sanaro both groaned.

'Must she?' asked Sanaro.

'She's my girlfriend,' Damian said pointedly, 'and aren't you and Voldemort always going on about needing more purebloods?'

'You have me there,' Sanaro muttered, 'but I don't trust her.'

'That's because you don't know her. I never used to trust you until I got to know you, remember?'

'How could I forget?' Sanaro grudgingly admitted.

Damian looked at Voldemort.

'Can she come?' he begged.

'You really love this girl, don't you?' Voldemort asked softly.

'I do. Words can't describe how much I love her.'

'Then she may come.'

'Thank you!' Damian exclaimed. 'If you'd excuse me, I think I'll retire for the night.'

'Night, dear,' Narcissa said as Damian left the room.

The moment he was gone, Sanaro turned to his father.

'How could you agree to have that girl here?' he asked.

'I want to meet the girl who has managed to capture my son's heart,' Voldemort said calmly. 'I need to see what she's like with my own eyes before I intervene and forbid him from seeing her. I want to know how she's controlling him and what she wants with him.'

'You don't believe she truly loves him?' Narcissa questioned quietly.

'Unlike Lucinda, I'm a realist, not an optimist,' Voldemort said bluntly. 'She would take an optimistic view and say this girl is his soul mate. Realistically, however, she is just another one of Dumbledore's pawns.'

**-THE EXPOSED TRUTH-**

Christmas day soon arrived, which found the Malfoys, Sanaro and Damian hurrying around getting everything ready for their guests. All of Draco's grandparents were deceased, which meant the boys' friends would be their only guests. Voldemort had disappeared somewhere. Sanaro said that he didn't like to celebrate Christmas as it brought back painful memories of Lucinda.

At eleven the boys' friends started to turn up for the day. Tracey was the first to arrive, followed closely by Daphne and the nervous Hermione. Blaise followed them with Neville and Luna bringing up the rear. Ginny was the last to arrive.

'I thought you weren't going to show up,' Damian said as he stepped forward to meet her.

'I nearly wasn't,' replied Ginny. 'Mum and Dad said that I wasn't allowed to come, but Fred and George were kind enough to cover for me so I could come.'

'I'm glad you did come,' Damian said, leaning forward and kissing her.

'Save it for the mistletoe, you two.'

Damian ended the kiss and turned around, his eyes going wide. Standing with her arm around Sanaro's waist was none other than Lily Potter. She was smiling at Damian with much joy and love in her eyes.

'Mum – I mean – Lily,' Damian gasped, walking slowly towards her, and she him.

'Hi, Damian,' she said. 'Let me look at you.'

Lily held him back at arm's length and looked at him closely.

'You've grown so much,' she commented. 'I'm so proud of you. Despite everything Sanaro says Dumbledore has put you through, you have kept your head held high and have powered through every challenge. Not many people your age could have done that.'

Damian smiled widely and hugged Lily tightly. Despite never really knowing her, he still felt a deep connection to her. He was happy to know that she was likely to become his sister-in-law.

'I believe some introductions are in order,' Sanaro said, breaking the touching moment.

'Good point,' Damian agreed, before pointing to each in turn. 'Right, this is Blaise, Daphne, Tracey, Neville, Hermione, Ginny and Luna. Guys, this is my brother, Sanaro, and his girlfriend, Lily.'

'Make that fiancé,' Sanaro corrected. 'I proposed to her this morning.'

'With the Dark Lord's blessing, scarily enough,' Lily added, showing Narcissa her ring.

'Shall we go into the sitting room?' Sanaro suggested.

The company moved into the sitting room where they exchanged gifts.

'Here you go,' Daphne said, handing Damian a heavy present as the gift giving was coming to an end.

Damian accepted the present and opened it. She had given him a beautiful book set on magical artefacts.

'Wow! Thanks, Daphne,' he said, grinning over at her. 'I'll enjoy reading these.'

'What? You read?' Sanaro said from the couch, where he was sitting with Lily.

'I do read,' Damian informed Sanaro, throwing some wrapping paper at him. 'I just don't always retain what I read. Anyway, this is for you,' he added, handing Daphne a small present. Inside was a necklace with small white pearls at different intervals, separated with small emeralds and amethysts.

'It's beautiful, Damian,' Daphne said quietly. 'Help me put it on?'

'Sure.'

Sanaro and Lily both noticed that Ginny was glaring at Daphne, and once Damian had put the necklace on Daphne, she immediately turned Damian's attention back to her.

'Here you go, Damian,' she said, handing him a present. 'Sorry it's not like everyone else's.'

Damian knew that she was embarrassed because the Weasleys didn't have that sort of money.

Damian opened it and saw that it was a bright red photo frame. Inside was a moving picture of Damian and Ginny by the lake. Colin Creevey had taken it shortly after they first started dating.

'Thank you, love,' Damian said, leaning over to her and giving her a quick kiss. He then handed her a present, which was a bottle of perfume.

'That's interesting,' Sanaro muttered quietly.

'What is?' Lily whispered.

'He gave Weasley, the girl who's meant to be his soul mate, a bottle of perfume, yet he gave a friend an expensive necklace,' said Sanaro. 'He spent more on Daphne than he did on anyone else.'

'Do you think a part of him is trying to break through a spell?'

'Maybe.'

'I think everyone's had a chance to give and receive their presents,' Narcissa commented, looking around.

'Not quite all.'

Everyone looked to the doorway and found Voldemort calmly standing there. All of Damian's friends, except Draco, tensed right up. Ginny grabbed Damian's arm, eyes wide. Hermione wasn't doing any better. The friends could understand Hermione's fear as she was a Muggle-born, but they couldn't understand Ginny's until they remembered her involvement with the Chamber of the Secrets.

'Your brother, Lily and I have a present for you, Damian,' Voldemort continued.

Sanaro reached behind the couch he was sitting on and revealed a small present.

'Beware, it's fragile,' he warned as he handed over the present.

With a frown of curiosity, Damian carefully opened his present and found a small vial containing some royal purple liquid. Damian stared at it blankly.

'What is it?' he asked.

'Remember when we first found out you were Damian and Father tried to remove the Glamour Dumbledore put on you?' Sanaro questioned.

'I remember. One of you said something about a potion to break it.'

'That vial contains the potion you need to break the Glamour,' Lily stated.

'We would have given it to you sooner, but we only just finished making it,' Sanaro explained. 'The potion recipe to make the Glamour potion is extremely rare, which makes the antidote even rarer. It's taken us all those months to find it. That's what Father's been looking for since we found out the truth. Lily's been in Egypt looking through the wizarding world's oldest library achieves.'

'Making it wasn't a walk in the park either,' Lily added. 'Your father, Sanaro and I have been working on it together; triple checking every instruction before implementing it. I now know why it has become so rare. They're a pain to brew.'

'Are you saying that if I take this now, I'll no longer look like James Potter?' asked Damian.

'That's correct,' Sanaro confirmed, 'though it might be best if you take it in your room, just in case. We wouldn't want your clothes becoming too big or something. I don't think you want to lose your pants in front of your friends.'

Damian's friends' sniggered.

'I see your point,' said Damian. 'I'll be back,' he added, hurrying from the room, potion in hand.

'This is so exciting, finally being able to see what Damian really looks like,' Daphne commented.

'I know,' Hermione agreed. 'Lucky we are able to see him now, otherwise we probably wouldn't recognise him at school.'

'I wonder how long it will take the rest of the school to figure out who he is,' said Draco. 'Pansy will _love_ this. The school's going to be buzzing about how Damian looks for _ages_!'

'Damian certainly knows how to get under her skin,' Blaise agreed. 'He just has to breathe near her and she becomes annoyed.'

'You seem awfully quiet about all this,' Tracey said accusingly to Ginny. 'Aren't you happy for Damian?'

'Of course I am!' Ginny snapped. 'I frankly couldn't care less about how he looks.'

'You say that rather indifferently,' Voldemort said coolly. 'If that is the case, it must mean you are dating my son for his personality, am I correct?'

'Yes,' Ginny answered without looking at Voldemort.

'What is it about Damian that you love?' Voldemort continued.

'Um... everything.'

'Really? You love everything about Damian, including any annoying habits? How interesting.'

Ginny fidgeted as Voldemort's cold red eyes bore into her.

Damian's friends looked at Draco, who was trying to laugh. We he saw them looking at him, he reached up onto the coffee table behind him where Lucius had left some parchment and ink. He wrote them a message so Ginny wouldn't hear.

_Damian's father thinks the same as we do and is trying to prove it. That's the only reason he allowed Damian to invite her. _

_So far I don't think she's making a good impression._

He then handed it to them and they all had to agree with Draco, while rooting Voldemort.

Fifteen minutes later, the room fell silent as a tall, young man walked into the room. He had longish midnight black hair, pale skin, dark green eyes, and in the middle of his forehead was a familiar lightning bolt scar. He looked like a younger version of Sanaro, talking on both of their parents' looks as well as their own.

'How do I look?' Damian asked.

'Very handsome,' Lily answered. 'No denying you're a Riddle now.'

Damian laughed before looking at his father. He was surprised to see that Voldemort's eyes didn't look as red as they grew soft. He had a tender looking smile on his face, but when he saw Damian looking at him, he hastily removed all traces of said smile.

'Much better,' was all he said, before walking away.

Five minutes later, the company moved on to the dining hall where they had a cooked Christmas lunch of roast chicken, turkey, vegetables and several other Christmas delicacies. These delicacies were followed by a homemade plum pudding. In the end, no one could eat another bite, so they returned to the sitting room where they'd be more comfortable.

While the adults all sat around talking politics and about the Ministry of Magic, Damian and his friends were looking at their new belongings and talking about random teenaged topics. Blaise and Draco played a game of chess, while talking to Neville. Luna, Hermione, Daphne and Tracey were all looking through the book set Daphne had given Damian. Damian and Ginny were sitting quietly together.

It turned out to be a peaceful afternoon, until Tracey and Hermione both gasped, staring down at the book they were sharing.

The room went silent as everyone turned to look at the pair.

'What's wrong?' asked Luna.

'There are two necklaces in this book that are used to make someone fall in love with someone else,' Hermione explained. 'They look exactly like the necklaces Damian and Ginny have.'

Voldemort, who had been walking passed the room at the time and stopped when he heard the girls gasp, turned to his youngest son, making his presence known.

'Is this true, Damian?' he demanded. 'Did she give you a necklace?'

'Yes,' Damian answered, remembering back to when Ginny gave it to him, as he explained everything to his father.

_Damian and his friends were sitting down by the lake, in their usual spot, when Ginny pulled something out of her pocket, handing it to Damian._

'_I bought you something in Hogsmeade yesterday,' she said. 'It's just a little something to remember me by.'_

_It was a golden necklace with a golden pendant at the end. The pendent had a rose quartz in the centre._

'_I'm sure Damian will look very manly wearing that!' Draco sniggered. 'That's as bad as the necklace Brown gave your brother!'_

'_Shut up,' Damian hissed at this best friend, before looking at Ginny, who revealed an identical necklace around her neck._

'_The lady who sold them to me said that they will bring us good luck as long as we never take them off,' she explained._

'_Then I'll never take mine off,' Damian replied as he put his on around his neck._

'_Oh please,' said Daphne. 'Could you two be any cornier?'_

'_Ignore her, Ginny,' Damian stated, glaring at his friend. He still couldn't understand why Daphne was being so cruel to Ginny. 'And thank you. I will always treasure it.'_

_He then leant forward and kissed her._

_While Damian and Ginny were kissing, Hermione and Tracey pointedly began to look at their Ancient Runes homework, while Draco, Neville and Blaise became unnaturally interested their homework. Luna stared off out across the lake and Daphne glared at Ginny._

'Show it to me!' Voldemort ordered, throwing aside the book that had the necklaces in it, once Damian had finished his recount. As Damian had been speaking, Voldemort had been examining the item in the textbook.

Damian pulled on the chain around his neck to reveal a necklace identical to the one in the book.

'And this is why I am a realist,' Voldemort said coldly, walking towards Damian and the terrified Ginny. 'Hand it over now, Damian!'

'But –'

'Do not make me ask you again!'

Damian looked at Ginny, before looking back at his father. It was clear by his facial expressions that he was fighting an internal battle. The spell from the necklaces was preventing him from obeying his father's orders. Hence, Voldemort yanked the necklace off his youngest son's neck. They then watched as Damian slowly broke free of the spell. He looked horrified as he hastily moved away from Ginny.

'I suggest you start talking, Weasley,' Sanaro said coldly, while Lily comforted Damian.

'Dumbledore told me to do it,' Ginny answered, shaking badly. 'He told me to go and speak to Riddle to see if he was naive enough to date me again. However, when I saw that he wasn't, I secretly gestured to the two third years Dumbledore organised to help me cause a distraction. While Malfoy, Greengrass and Riddle were distracted by them, I drugged Riddle's drink water with a weak love potion so no one would be suspicious of why he was falling in love with me again. Dumbledore then gave me the necklaces to make certain he remained under my control.

'And what did Dumbledore hope to achieve from this?' Voldemort hissed.

'He was hoping that I would be able to lead Damian back to him and use him against you.'

'So we were right,' Sanaro said darkly. 'You were a weapon.'

'What are you going to do to me?' Ginny hesitantly asked.

'Normally I would kill you for what you have done to my son, but my wife was rather against me killing people on Christmas,' said Voldemort. 'Thank your lucky star that I am sparing you this day, but should our paths cross again, I will kill you. Sanaro, get her out of my sight.'

'With pleasure,' Sanaro said coldly, getting to his feet and taking Ginny away.

Sanaro ended up talking Ginny to the Burrow, where he barged into the kitchen, dragging Ginny a long with him.

'GINNY!' Mrs Weasley screamed, abruptly standing as did the rest of the Weasleys.

'You should keep a closer eye on your only daughter!' Sanaro growled, pushing Ginny into Bill's chest. 'Give a message to Dumbledore for me, will you? Tell him not to send a little girl to do his dirty work. You can also give him this back!'

Sanaro threw the necklace Ginny used to control Damian on the dinner table, before storming out of the house. He then Apparated back to Malfoy Manor where he found Damian slowly controlling his anger and disgust.

'I can't believe Ginny would do something like that,' Damian said for the hundredth time.

'Show's what her true colours are,' Draco muttered.

'How are you feeling?' Sanaro asked his little brother.

'Disgusted, angry, used, betrayed... and I could go on,' Damian said bitterly.

'So how do these necklaces work?' asked Neville.

'All rose quartz's have magic properties,' Hermione explained. 'The rose quartz in the middle of the necklace Damian wore had enhanced magical properties, which makes the wearer fall in love with the person that wears the other necklace. Weasley was safe from falling in love with Damian seeing as she had a fake rose quartz.'

With Dumbledore's scheme foiled, everyone went back to enjoying their Christmas, but the surprises weren't all over. As everyone was saying goodbye that night, Daphne and Damian stopped in the doorway.

'I had fun today, despite everything that happened,' Daphne told Damian.

'You knew all along that she was using me, didn't you?' asked Damian.

'What do you mean?'

'That's why you were always so cold around her. Ginny told me it was jealousy –'

'Why would I be jealous?' Daphne said hastily, going red. 'I mean, you and I are just friends.'

'Yes. Of course.' Damian sounded put out.

By chance, Damian looked up and saw it.

'Mistletoe,' he whispered.

Daphne also looked up, before looking deeply into Damian's eyes. They both slowly leant forward until their lips met. When they pulled apart, both of them had gone red.

'Goodnight,' Daphne breathed, before hurrying off, her face burning.

'Night,' Damian muttered back, smiling after her.

* * *

**A/N:** A picture of Daphne's necklace is on Facebook

**Azaelia Silmarwen Facebook page:** link on profile  
**Written:** 27 April 2014  
**Updated:** N/A**  
Beta:** BETA WANTED

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT CLAIM OWNERSHIP OVER THE ORIGINAL COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL IN THIS STORY. THIS IS A NON-PROFIT FANDUB CREATED BY FANS, FOR FANS. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED, FAIR USE ONLY.**


	12. Imprisonment

**CHAPTER TWELVE: IMPRISONMENT**

For the rest of the Christmas holidays, Damian spent his time with Lily. He finally had the chance to learn about the woman who had adopted and protected him. He learnt that she and James had given birth to a baby boy, the very same day Damian was born, except he had been very ill and had died. Dumbledore, sensing their weakness, then presented them with Damian, informing them he was an orphan. However, there was a condition; Damian had to take Harry Potter's name for his own protection, though Dumbledore never said what Damian needed protection from. James had taken some convincing, not keen on Harry's name being given to a stranger's child, but when he saw Lily's behaviour and love for the child, he had given in, and it didn't take him long to fall in love with Damian.

'Did Sirius know?' Damian questioned. 'And what about Remus?'

'They were the only ones we told,' Lily stated. 'Sirius even knows who your father is and still loves you.

Damian frowned. Something wasn't right.

'I don't think we're on the same page,' he stated. 'You're speaking as though Sirius is still alive.'

'That's because I am.'

Damian turned around so fast he ended up toppling off the chair he was sitting on. Standing in the doorway was a tired, but happy Sirius Black.

'Sirius?' Damian whispered, before leaping off the floor, hurrying forward and embracing Sirius tightly. 'I thought you were dead! I saw you go through the Veil.'

'You saw an illusion,' Sirius explained gently. 'I overheard Dumbledore talking to Moody about wiping me from the picture of your life. I knew then that something wasn't right and sent a message to Narcissa. She explained everything to me and I began to realise how much Dumbledore had played us. She organised for my death to be faked and from then on I've been working for your father and pestering him.'

'Pestering him?'

'Every time saw him I tried to convince him that you were just being used like I was,' Sirius explained. 'I tried to get him to spare you. He didn't believe me because he didn't trust me, which is understandable. So I tried talking to Sanaro. While we disliked each other and he didn't trust me, he agreed to try and convince your father to spare you.'

'Which he did when Voldemort captured me and Dumbledore,' said Damian. Everything was starting to make sense. 'So are you and my brother still fighting?'

'No, they're like you and Draco,' Lily answered. 'They finally grew up and are good friends.'

Sirius gave her a look.

'Sorry, their just friends, neither good nor bad,' she corrected. 'They're still having trouble letting go of some past issues.'

'Speaking of the devil, have you seen him and the Dark Lord?' Sirius asked seriously.

'I think they're outside somewhere,' Lily answered. 'All Sanaro said was he'd be going outside with Him.'

'Thanks. I'll see the two of you later.' Sirius then hurried away.

'Are you alright, sweetheart?' Lily asked when she saw Damian staring after Sirius.

'I don't know how many more of these surprises I can take,' Damian said faintly. 'Is there anything else I should know about? Like anyone else who's meant to be dead, but is really alive?'

'Not as far as I know.'

'That isn't very reassuring.'

**-THE EXPOSED TRUTH-**

Before Damian knew it, a new term had started once again at Hogwarts. Once more he found himself on the Hogwarts Express, surrounded his friends.

'I can't believe how fast this year has gone by,' Tracey commented. 'Before we know it, our formal will be here.'

'I heard that the Patils and Brown have already started shopping for your formal,' Luna absently commented from behind her copy of the _Quibbler_.

'That's not a bad idea,' said Hermione. 'At this point, it'll be here before we know it.'

'Not this Hogsmeade weekend, but the weekends after, the teachers are letting seniors go home so they can buy dresses, robes and whatever else they need for the formal,' Daphne informed her friends.

'Won't be long and we'll have our classmates hurrying around for dates,' said Tracey. 'It'll be like the Yule Ball, no one wants to go without one.'

'What if you like someone in a different year?' asked Neville.

'I asked Professor Snape about that and he said it was fine to have them as your date,' Daphne answered.

'Why did you ask him that?' asked Draco.

'Because I know for a fact that there is no girl in our year that you are attracted to,' Daphne said matter-of-factly. 'That's why I'm setting you up with my sister, Astoria.'

'And if things don't work out?' Draco exclaimed, not looking thrilled with the idea. 'This is your little sister we're talking about. It could ruin our friendship!'

'Don't be such a drama queen,' Daphne said with a laugh. 'Besides, I think the two of you will get on famously. I also read that thirty-four percent of happily married couples met through friends.'

'That doesn't make me feel any better,' Draco groaned.

'You'll like her, trust me,' Daphne persisted.

'Okay, fine!' Draco surrendered. 'But if it ends in disaster, don't you go hexing me or anything!'

'I won't,' replied the amused Daphne.

Damian sat their smiling, watching Daphne, admiring her beauty. Everyone said Ginny Weasley was the prettiest girl at Hogwarts, but Damian had to disagree. Daphne would have to be one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen at Hogwarts.

'So what do you think, Damian?' asked Neville, snapping Damian back into reality.

'Huh? Sorry, my thoughts were… elsewhere,' Damian apologised.

'What were you thinking about?' asked Luna.

'Nothing too important,' Damian hastily replied as he felt his face begin to burn.

'If it's nothing important, then why are you turning red?' Draco teased.

'Leave him alone,' Hermione said with a knowing smile. 'He can't help it if a certain beauty has captured his eyes and heart.'

Damian went even redder, making sure to avoid looking at Daphne. Hermione and Tracey, however, gave Daphne a knowing look as she went red too, wearing a goofy smile of pleasure.

The trip to Hogwarts was pleasant enough, for nobody they didn't want to see paid them a visit. Why hadn't the Weasleys and their gang come to taunt and annoy them? Damian's theory was that they were staying away because of what happened at the Christmas party. He also had a second theory that they were silent because something was being planned.

When they arrived at Hogsmeade Station and made their way to the carriages, Damian became aware of the other seventh year students, who had gone home for the holidays, looking over at him. Some of them immediately realised who he was, due to the company he kept, while others remained oblivious, but not for long. Just like a wildfire, word soon spread about Damian's new appearance. This made some people even more wary around Damian for they believed that he had changed completely and that he was to become a Dark Lord. Of course, there were those who already believed this and now argued this transformation proved their point.

Damian ignored all the gossip and concentrated on his studies and plans to assassinate Dumbledore. He was yet to find one that had a low risk and high success rate. So far they all had a high risk of being caught and a low success rate. Damian was so focused on the assassination plans that time seemed to fly by and before he knew it, there was only a month left until the seventh years' formal.

'Have you asked anyone to the formal yet?' Draco asked Damian during lunch.

'No, not yet,' Damian admitted. 'I'm still trying to work up the courage to ask the girl I like.'

'How is it you can stand up to your father and face dragons, but when it comes to asking Daphne out, you become a coward?' Draco enquired.

'It's completely different,' Damian argued. 'They can't reject you.'

'Neither will Daphne. She likes you a lot.'

'Really? Wait, how did you know it was Daphne?'

'It doesn't take a genius to see how you two feel about each other,' Draco answered bluntly.

'And she's been waiting anxiously for you to ask her,' Hermione added from across the table where she was sitting with Blaise. 'She's been too nervous to ask you herself.'

'I guess I have nothing to fear then,' Damian sighed. 'So… has anyone asked you yet, Hermione?'

To his surprise, Hermione blushed and smiled.

'Blaise asked me and I said yes,' she answered, smiling over at Blaise, who took her hand, grinning back.

'So it's just me and Daphne that needs to get a move on,' Damian muttered more to himself than to anyone else. Neville and Luna were going together, while Tracey said she was going by herself as her boyfriend had already graduated two years ago.

'Speaking of the devil, here she comes with Astoria,' Draco commented

'Have you asked Astoria yet?' Damian inquired.

'I don't see why I have to when Daphne's the one setting this up,' Draco mumbled. 'Here's the deal; I'll take Astoria outside and ask her, which means you have to ask Daphne while I'm gone. Agreed?'

'Agreed.'

'Hi, guys,' Daphne greeted as she and Astoria stopped behind Damian and Draco.

'Hi, Draco,' Astoria greeted, smiling down at him.

'Hi, Astoria,' Draco replied as the bell to go to class sounded. 'May I walk you to your class? I'd like to talk to you about something.'

'Of course.'

Draco then left with Astoria, while Luna went off to her own class. The others then made their way to Defence Against the Dark Arts class, though Damian made sure he brought up the rear with Daphne.

'Daphne, there's something I've been wanting to ask you,' Damian began nervously. 'Would you go out with me and be my date to the formal?'

'I was wondering when you'd ask me,' Daphne replied, beaming with happiness, as she slipped her hand into Damian's. 'I'd love to… in answer to both questions.'

Damian smiled back and tightened his grip on her hand lovingly. It felt so right being with her. He had never felt anything like it before. He never had the same feeling with Cho Chang or Ginny Weasley. At that moment he knew that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

Damian's friends and family were thrilled to learn of his new found relationship with Daphne. Sanaro informed Damian that Voldemort approved of his decision, but also warned him that this relationship was dangerous for Daphne as Dumbledore would likely take advantage of their love.

Damian hadn't thought of that and it worried him. However, Daphne merely held her head up high and told him to let them come. She'd curse anyone who hurt them and would never cower or leave his side. Then the unexpected happened.

A week before the formal, Damian walked into the Great Hall for breakfast, with Daphne, and became very self-conscious and uncomfortable. The entire student body were silent and staring at him with a mixture of shock, disbelief, hate, and fear. Even the teachers were silent and staring at him, though Sanaro was currently missing. Everyone was grouped around copies of the _Daily Prophet_.

Damian didn't know what to think. Did Voldemort order a Death Eater attack or something?

Silently, Daphne led Damian over to their friends, who were looking at him sympathetically, while glaring over at Dumbledore every so often. Even Luna had a look of disgust and hate on her face as she looked at Dumbledore.

As Damian sat down, he too glanced over at Dumbledore and paled. He was looking rather triumphant. Startled, Damian looked at Draco, who mutely handed him the _Daily Prophet_.

The news article heading jumped straight out at Damian. _FATHER LIKE SON_ it read in big bold letters with a picture of Damian underneath the title showing him torturing a little girl. Damian stared at the picture in horror. Who was this person? True he looked exactly like him, but it wasn't him. He would never harm a child. Still horrified, Damian forced himself to read the article.

_Sources have now confirmed our worse fears that __Damian_ _Marvolo Riddle, 17, previously known as Harry James Potter, is in fact exactly like this father, the Dark Lord and brother, Sanaro Delano Riddle, 37. Our source, who wishes to remain anonymous for their own safety and the safety of their family, was unfortunate enough to stumble across __Damian__, last night, willingly and enjoyably torturing a helpless and innocent five year old Muggle girl while two Death Eaters stood there watching. The witness was able to get the picture shown above before contacting the Aurors. Sadly, by the time the Aurors arrived at the scene, Riddle was gone and the girl's small dead, broken body was all that remained._

_This now leaves us wondering, has the "Chosen One" been evil from the very beginning or has his infamous Father used dark magic on him? Either way, should we be worried for our safety and the safety of our children, especially those children who are currently attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with __Damian__? Do we have another future Dark Lord on our hands? For more details, see page 3..._

Damian had just finished reading the article when several Aurors marched inside with a disgusted Kingsley Shacklebolt and an upset Nymphadora Tonks. They were all walking towards Damian, wands at the ready.

'Damian Riddle,' Shacklebolt began. 'You are under arrest for the torture and murder of Emily Porter.'

Damian stared at him blankly.

'Who's Emily Porter?' he questioned.

'The Muggle girl you murdered last night.'

'I haven't tortured or murdered anyone!' Damian retorted furiously. 'I was in the Slytherin common room and my dormitory all night.'

'With the only witnesses being the children of Death Eaters and those raised to support the Dark Arts,' said Shacklebolt. 'Very convenient.'

'I'm not lying – hey!'

One of the Aurors had Summoned Damian's wand. Even with his quick reflects, Damian hadn't been fast enough to catch his wand.

'Come with us or we will have no choice but to use force,' said Shacklebolt.

'I'm not going anywhere with you!' Damian said stubbornly. 'I'm not taking the blame for something I haven't done!'

'We have a photo of you torturing Porter. If you didn't do it, then how are you in that picture?'

'Pictures can be altered and they don't always speech the truth. That person could be using Polyjuice Potion –'

'Do you honestly think we'd believe that?' Hawkes Hawlish snapped. 'You're the son of the Dark Lord.'

'And that automatically makes me guilty?' Damian yelled. 'I'm not my father! And I can't help it that he's my father either! I didn't ask to be born!'

'Yet unfortunately you were.'

'Enough,' Shacklebolt interrupted impatiently. 'Damian, this is your last chance. Come with us willingly or we will use force.'

'Why are you using force on Riddle?'

Everyone turned to see Severus Snape enter the hall. Sanaro looked around curiously, but when his eyes met Damian's, Damian could see that he was worried.

'Did you see the _Prophet_ this morning, Severus?' asked Shacklebolt.

'I haven't as yet. Why?'

A fifth year Gryffindor silently handed him a copy of the _Prophet_. Damian watched as his brother's face went from confusion, to shock, to sheer horror, before becoming indifferent as he looked up and searched Damian's face.

'Damian, come with us,' said Tonks.

Damian didn't react.

Frowning, Tonks realised that Damian was looking at Sanaro and vice versa.

'Professor Snape can't help you, Damian,' she said quietly. 'Come with us.'

'He's not going anywhere with you,' Sanaro said coldly. 'If he goes with you, Scrimgeour will have him thrown in Azkaban prison without a trial for something he didn't do.'

'You don't have a voice in the matter, Snape!' Hawlish growled. 'Now stand aside so we can take this murderer in.'

'Damian isn't a killer,' Sanaro said softly, 'but I am.'

Without warning, Sanaro sent all of the Aurors flying backwards, before dropping his Glamour. The Hall exploded as everyone, except Draco and Damian, reached to Sanaro's true presence. Severus Snape was really Sanaro Riddle. His eyes travelled to Dumbledore, who was too close to Damian for comfort. He had snuck up while they were busy with the Aurors.

'If you go anywhere near my brother you'll see how much like my father I really am!' Sanaro said warningly, aiming his wand at the headmaster.

Damian could tell that his brother was nervous. He could also tell that his brother was doing some serious thinking. Sanaro knew that he was no match for Dumbledore; even Voldemort had trouble fighting and winning against him. Then there was the Aurors slowly surrounding them. However, Sanaro would do everything in his power to protect Damian. He would not lose his brother again.

'You're out numbered, Sanaro,' said Dumbledore, taking on his grandfather act. 'Why don't you do yourself a favour and surrender? If you co-operate I'm sure your sentence won't be as harsh. If you co-operate I could help not only your case, but Damian's as well. It's not your fault you've had an inappropriate role model all your life, who has taught you –'

'Put a sock in it, Dumbledore,' Sanaro interrupted. 'I'm not an idiot. I know that you are lying. Besides, you've already tried to show me the light, remember? Aren't you the one that kept me out of Azkaban all these years?'

'You are a fool to throw away the chance I have given you.'

'I'm not the one who gave his enemy's son vital information about plans to defeat him,' Sanaro said pointedly as he motioned for the defenceless Damian to join him. 'Tell me, Dumbledore, am I still your most trusted spy?'

Dumbledore answered by striking, but Sanaro was ready. He pushed Damian out of harm's way and protected himself. Sanaro glared at Dumbledore as he threw a curse back at him. Dumbledore then conjured a wave of fire, sending it rushing towards Sanaro, who didn't even blink as he transformed it into black serpent that was the size of a fully grown basilisk. Dumbledore slayed it with ease, before quickly protecting himself with a shield that turned every dagger Sanaro sent at him into dust.

With dust in his eyes, Dumbledore was vulnerable and Sanaro was going to take advantage of it. At least he would have if Hawlish hadn't attacked him while his back was turned, rendering him unconscious.

'SANARO!' Damian yelled, seeing his brother down.

Damian went to run to his brother's side only to have Shacklebolt grab his arms roughly and bind them behind his back.

'Let go of me!' Damian growled, his eyes fixed on Sanaro as two Aurors dragged his brother away.

'Damian!' Daphne cried as he was led from the Hall. She was about to run to his side when Draco grabbed her arm to hold her back. Damian shook his head warning at her as he gave her a reassuring smile.

The Riddle brothers ended up being taken to the Ministry of Magic where they were then put in separate holding cells with several Aurors guarding each cell. They weren't going to take any chances of them being rescued. Scrimgeour was convinced that they were the keys to Voldemort's downfall, as was Dumbledore. He too was sure Sanaro and Damian could be used against Voldemort and was determined to make sure no one ruined his plans this time.

Damian remained in his cell until noon the next day. He had small quantities of food and water pushed into his cell for each meal, but he never touched it. He didn't trust the Aurors. Knowing his luck they might have drugged it with Veritaserum or Weakness Potion or something along those lines. He would not take the risk.

At noon, Damian started as his holding cell door opened. Standing before him was none other than Dumbledore, who was looking rather satisfied with himself.

'Glaring at me won't do you any good, my boy,' Dumbledore stated calmly.

'Maybe, but it makes me feel slightly better,' Damian replied bitterly, 'and how did you expect me to react? Did you think I'd be relieved to see you like I would have before you betrayed me?'

'You should be happy to see me, Damian, as I am the only one who can prevent you from joining Sanaro in Azkaban.'

Damian's glare vanished and Dumbledore smirked.

'That's right. Sanaro was found guilty this morning and is now on his way to Azkaban, where he shall be held in the most secure and well-protect cell Azkaban has ever seen.'

'What do you want?' asked Damian.

Dumbledore turned to the Aurors outside the holding cell.

'Leave us,' he ordered.

'Yes, sir.'

Once the Aurors were gone, Dumbledore turned back to Damian.

'I'm going to offer you a deal,' Dumbledore finally answered. 'You come back to my side and I shall keep you out of Azkaban.'

'Do I look as naïve as I was before?' Damian growled. 'I won't betray my friends and family! And how do I know you won't just throw me in Azkaban or kill me once you've finished with me?'

'You don't, but if you continue to be useful, I'll continue to protect you.'

'No deal!' Damian said firmly. 'I'd rather rot in Azkaban than help you!'

'I wasn't actually giving you a choice,' Dumbledore informed the young man before him as he pulled out his wand.

Damian moved uncomfortably.

'What are you doing?' he asked nervously.

'I'm going to remove your memories up till the time Voldemort had us imprisoned,' Dumbledore said calmly. 'Then you will be under my control once more and hate your father.'

Damian's eyes narrowed, but he didn't say anything for he knew everything Dumbledore said was true. He would trust Dumbledore once more and would turn against his father.

As Dumbledore approached Damian, the boy began to back himself up away from him, but it was no use. He was trapped.

* * *

**Azaelia Silmarwen Facebook page:** link on profile  
**Written:** 1 May 2014  
**Updated:** N/A**  
Beta:** BETA WANTED

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT CLAIM OWNERSHIP OVER THE ORIGINAL COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL IN THIS STORY. THIS IS A NON-PROFIT FANDUB CREATED BY FANS, FOR FANS. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED, FAIR USE ONLY.**


	13. The Trial

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN: THE TRIAL**

When Dumbledore was done removing Damian's memories, he stood back and watched as Damian came back to reality, looked around, confused. When his eyes fell upon Dumbledore, he relaxed.

'Are you alright, Professor?' he questioned.

'I'm fine, dear boy,' replied Dumbledore.

'What happened? The last thing I remember is Voldemort torturing me and Sanaro dragging me back to my prison room. Are we still their prisoners?'

'No, we're not, Damian.'

Damian blinked.

'Damian? Why did you call me Damian?' he asked blankly.

'Because that was the name you were given at birth,' Dumbledore explained gently. 'A lot has happened since your last memories. It's been nearly a year since we went looking for the Horcrux.'

'What?' Damian explained. 'How is that possible? And why don't I remember anything?'

Dumbledore didn't answer immediately. Instead he took a seat next to Damian on the cell's hard bed.

'I suppose I should start at the beginning,' Dumbledore answered eventually. 'To begin, you should know that Lily and James Potter aren't your biological parents.'

'What? But I look like Dad and have Mum's eyes! It can't be true!' Damian didn't want to believe what Dumbledore said to be true.

'It is. You were merely under a Glamour,' Dumbledore explained. 'You were born into a family that didn't love you, but merely saw you as a tool of darkness. They planned to teach you the Dark Arts and turn you into a feared killer. When I discovered your existence, I secretly took you away from them and gave you to the Potters. They agreed to love a protect you, giving you the name, Harry Potter. I thought you'd be safe under this disguise, but then Voldemort came and you know what followed.'

'Professor, what has this got to do with my memory loss?' Damian questioned with a dry mouth.

'Your older brother discovered who you were and kidnapped you, taking you to your father. He then bewitched you and turned you into the person I tried to protect you from becoming.'

'What did I do?' Damian dreaded the answer.

'I'm afraid your father made you torture and murder a little Muggle girl,' Dumbledore said sadly. 'That is the only one I know about, though. It's also the reason you're in this holding cell. Someone saw you torturing the girl and now everyone in the wizarding world knows. Your trial is in a few minutes.'

Damian was horrified.

'I can't believe I did that!' he whispered.

'It wasn't your fault, Damian,' Dumbledore said firmly. 'You weren't in control of your actions. I didn't even realise until now that you had been bewitched, but when I saw you were, I immediately broke your father's control on you. I will make sure you are cleared of all charges, Damian. I will make sure everyone knows you were bewitched.'

'That doesn't make sense,' Damian stated. 'Even Voldemort can't control me with the Imperious –'

'When it comes to the Dark Arts, there are other ways of controlling people,' Dumbledore interrupted. 'Don't think too much into it.'

Damian frowned at the odd comment, but choice to remark about something else.

'Professor, I still don't understand how I can be missing roughly a year of memories.'

'I'm afraid that when I took the spell off you it triggered a curse that removed your memory. No doubt your father's doing. Probably didn't want you telling anyone his plans if you were ever freed.'

'How is that possible?'

'I don't know. I've never studied the Dark Arts. Again, don't think about it too much.'

Damian still thought it was rather unbelievable, but he didn't question Dumbledore. After all, he trusted Dumbledore, who had no reason to lie to him, or so it seemed to Damian.

'Professor... who is my father?' Damian asked hesitantly. 'I know you've been very careful in avoiding saying his name so far. Do I know him?'

'Deep down, I think you already know who he is.'

'Is he a Death Eater?'

'No. I'm afraid your father is Voldemort himself.

Damian's eyes widened with disbelief written all over his face.

'No!' Damian shouted, leaping to his feet, becoming slightly hysterical. 'No, you're lying! There's no way he can be my father! He can't be! He just can't!'

'Biologically I'm afraid he is,' Dumbledore said softly as he watched Damian pace around hysterically, rubbing his figures through his hair.

'Why didn't you tell me?' Damian demanded furiously.

'I wanted to protect you,' replied Dumbledore. 'I knew it would be too painful for you to know the truth.'

'Figures,' Damian muttered. That was Dumbledore's answer to everything. 'I take it everyone knows he's my father, then?'

'Yes.'

'So did they find out when we were prisoners, or did we escape first, or what happened?'

Dumbledore went on to explain how he managed to free them from Voldemort's clutches and returned to Hogwarts. He told Damian how Severus Snape turned out to be Sanaro, which allowed him to kidnap Damian when the truth was exposed.

'I knew I didn't trust Snape for a reason,' Damian grumbled.

'He wasn't the only one that we shouldn't have trusted,' Dumbledore said gravely.

'What do you mean?'

'I'm afraid your friends, Neville Longbottom, Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood were all in on the scheme, as well as Draco Malfoy, Tracey Davis, Blaise Zabini and Daphne Greengrass. They were all helping Voldemort.'

'I don't believe it!' Damian exclaimed, eyes wide and feeling betrayed. 'Sure I can believe the Slytherins being involved, but not the others.'

'They've been acting the entire time, Damian.'

'But Hermione's a Muggle-born.'

Dumbledore shook his head.

'She's actually a pureblood; daughter of one of Voldemort's Death Eaters.'

'Which Death Eater?' Damian asked suddenly.

'I don't know which as of yet.'

'Then how –'

'She admitted to it herself when she was boasting to your friend Ronald.'

'W-what?'

'She's been playing you this entire time. Only the Weasleys and other members of Dumbledore's Army have remained loyal and true to you.'

'At least I still have Ron.' Damian sighed, before letting out a frustrated growl. 'Argh! I feel as though I'm living a terrible nightmare! Is there anything else I should know?'

'Not that I can think of, but at the moment all we should worry about is getting you through your trial.'

Damian's trial unsurprisingly took place down in the courtrooms, in the same courtroom Damian's trial for the use of under-age magic was held back in his fifth year. The room was dead silent when he entered, escorted by two Aurors, with many Wizengamot members glaring down at him from the high benches upon which they sat. Unlike his last hearing, Damian truly felt like a criminal. To make matters worse, when Damian sat in the chain covered chair, which resided in the middle of the room, the chains snaked out around his wrists binding him in place.

'Let us begin,' Scrimgeour, the Minister of Magic, began coldly. He then stated the hearing details and the key people present, before addressing the court. 'The charges against the accused are as follows: Damian Marvolo Riddle knowingly, deliberately, and in full awareness of his actions, used both the Cruciatus Curse and the Killing Curse on a six year old Muggle girl.'

Damian couldn't help but flinch at that statement. Even though Dumbledore told him he had no free will in the event, it still made him feel terrible and guilty to know that he was capable of something like that.

'You are Damian Marvolo Riddle, formerly known as Harry James Potter, is that correct?' Scrimgeour asked, turning his attention to Damian.

'Yes,' Damian answered quietly.

'And how do you plea to these charges?'

Damian didn't answer; instead he looked at Dumbledore, who answered for him.

'If I may, Minister, I have to object to your previous statement of Damian being in full awareness of his actions,' he said. 'I must stress to the court that Damian, in fact, was not responsible for his actions. Up until a few moments ago, I believed as you do. I believed that Damian was a mirror image of his father. That is not the case. When I went and visited his holding cell, to see if I could talk some sense into him, I realised that he was being controlled by Lord Voldemort. He had no control over his actions. I have broken the spell upon him, but in doing so his memories of the past year have been erased.'

'How do we know what you are saying is true?' Scrimgeour questioned. 'All of us here know you and the boy are close. You were at his last hearing trying to save him and he has spoken highly of you to me. How do we know you are telling the truth, or that he's being truthful to you?'

'Use a Truth Serum on him and question him yourself,' Dumbledore suggested.

'Truth Serum's can be resisted, especially by those who are able to use Occlumency,' Scrimgeour said pointedly.

'Minister, I can assure you that if there was any doubt in my mind that Damian had lied to me, I would not cover for him. If Damian was anything like Sanaro Riddle and Lord Voldemort I can assure you I would not defend him. I do not want another killer or Dark Lord on the loose. Besides, I have no reason to lie to you and Damian's not that good of an actor.'

Scrimgeour looked at Damian searchingly, who managed to look him directly in the eye. He had nothing to hide, at least as far as he could remember he had nothing to hide.

'Take the accused outside until further orders,' the Minister eventually said to the two Aurors who had escorted Damian in.

They did as ordered without saying a word, as did Damian. The chains released him and he silently followed the Aurors out of the courtroom so the Wizengamot could discuss his future. Time seemed to crawl by as he waited nervously for their decision. During this time, the two Aurors watched his every move, wands close at hand encase he did something suspicious.

Fifteen minutes later, after much arguing and debate, Damian was called back in, where he found Dumbledore looking relived. He looked quickly at Scrimgeour.

'Damian Riddle,' he began. 'This court has found you guilty of the accused crime; however, seeing as you were not in control of your actions, you will not be charged or sentenced to Azkaban. As such, the court has agreed that you are to remain under the watchful eye of your headmaster until which time the court deems this no longer necessary. This court is dismissed.'

Damian smiled as he felt a flood of relief flow through him.

'Thank you, Professor,' he said gratefully to Dumbledore as they left the courtroom.

'It was nothing, Damian,' Dumbledore said dismissingly. 'You are innocent, after all.'

* * *

**Azaelia Silmarwen Facebook page:** link on profile  
**Written:** 3 May 2014  
**Updated:** N/A**  
Beta:** BETA WANTED

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT CLAIM OWNERSHIP OVER THE ORIGINAL COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL IN THIS STORY. THIS IS A NON-PROFIT FANDUB CREATED BY FANS, FOR FANS. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED, FAIR USE ONLY.**


	14. The Formal

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN: THE FORMAL**

That night, Damian returned with Dumbledore to Grimmauld Place. After everything Damian had been through, Dumbledore thought it'd be best if they put off returning to Hogwarts until the next morning. Damian didn't argue for he didn't feel ready to face anyone yet.

'I bet there were many fights in the dormitory and common room between Ron and I when I was under Voldemort's control,' Damian remarked as he and Dumbledore entered Grimmauld Place.

'There were numerous arguments, but none of which took place in Gryffindor Tower,' replied Dumbledore. 'Your father had you transferred into Slytherin.'

'Figures,' Damian said darkly, 'and don't refer to that monster as my father. He's no father of mine.'

'As you wish.' Dumbledore was grateful it was dark and Damian wasn't looking at him for he found it hard to contain the delighted smile spreading across his wrinkled face.

By the time the pair arrived downstairs in the kitchen, dinner was being served with the usual Order occupants, including the Weasleys, Remus, Tonks, Moody and Shacklebolt. They all fell silent when the miserable Damian and calm Dumbledore entered. Then, before Damian knew it, he was in one of Mrs Weasley's motherly hugs, but it wasn't as Damian remembered. It was somehow felt cold and distant. Damian figured that what he did to that Muggle girl must have scared her.

'Tonks told us how you were bewitched by You-Know-Who,' she told Damian. 'I'm so glad to have you back, dear.'

'Glad to be back,' Damian said with a forced smile.

With a smile that did not meet her eyes, Mrs Weasley led Damian over to the table and placed him in between Remus and Tonks, before piling up his plate. During this time Dumbledore made his leave, saying he had to prepare for Damian's return to Hogwarts.

Dinner was very awkward for Damian. Something just didn't feel right. While Fred, George, Charlie, Bill, Fleur, Remus and Tonks all happily chatted away to him as though nothing had changed, everyone else seemed like strangers to him. They were way too formal and polite, and their smiles never seemed to meet their eyes.

'Are you alright, Damian?' Tonks asked near the end. 'You seem sad; when you should be happy you got off.'

'But I don't feel happy,' said Damian, 'and maybe I don't deserve to get off. I killed a child for heaven's sake!'

'That was not your fault, Damian,' Remus said firmly. 'You were under Voldemort's control.'

'But was that his doing or mine?' Damian argued. 'His blood ruins through my veins. Maybe that Damian you've known for the past year was the real me. What if that monster is still inside me, ready to break out?' He then let out a frustrated growl. 'I hate not remembering!'

'Maybe that's for the best,' Bill said quietly. 'You're feeling terrible about what happened to the Muggle girl; just imagine if there were more incidents like hers. You'd probably march yourself straight off to Azkaban or worse, take your own life. Ignorance can be bliss.'

'Not in this case,' Damian sighed, before excusing himself and going to bed.

**-THE EXPOSED TRUTH-**

Early the next morning, Dumbledore took Damian back to Hogwarts. He ended up Portkeying Damian to his office, where Ron and Ginny were waiting. The moment Damian picked himself off the floor from his ungraceful entrance, he found Ginny in his arms, holding tightly.

'Thank goodness you're back,' she said, stepping away from him. 'I knew there had to be a logical reason behind your sudden cruel nature.'

'Dumbledore told me I hurt you and for that I am so sorry,' Damian apologised, not knowing that it was the other way around.

'I know you didn't mean it,' Ginny said softly. 'So don't beat yourself up about it.'

Damian turned his attention to Ron and was about to open his mouth to apologise when the red-head stopped him.

'I know what you're about to say,' he said, 'and Ginny's right; it isn't your fault. No apology needed, mate. I'm just happy you're back.'

_You don't seem happy though_, Damian thought as he noted that Ron seemed very frosty towards him.

Moments later, Ron, Ginny and Damian left Dumbledore's office and headed down to breakfast.

Meanwhile...

Down in the Great Hall, a storm was erupting. The _Daily Prophet_ was being delivered and everyone was reading about Sanaro's and Damian's trial. Everyone accept his friends who hadn't received a paper yet.

'How do you think Sanaro's and Damian's trials went?' Blaise questioned glumly as he played with his porridge.

'All I know is it couldn't have gone well,' Daphne sniffed. Her eyes were red and tired from crying and getting next to no sleep since Damian's arrest. 'He's probably in cell in Azkaban all alone.'

'Or he could be walking into the Hall, hand-in-hand with Weasley!' Tracey gasped. 'Look!'

The group turned and saw Damian taking a seat in between Ginny and Ron, across from Thomas and Finnigan. No one was screaming or angry about Damian's presence, instead they were rather content.

'Am I dreaming?' Draco mused out loud.

'If you are, we're all having the same dream,' Neville said as Hermione entered the Hall.

'I don't believe what I'm seeing!' Daphne gasped, feeling incredibly hurt. 'Why is he with that – that – bitch?'

'It gets worse,' Hermione said as she dropped into the seat next to Blaise, throwing the _Daily Prophet_ in front of them.

At once the friends put their heads together and read the newspaper article Hermione pointed to.

_Following the arrest of Sanaro Delano Riddle, 37, and Damian Marvolo Riddle, 17; Sanaro Riddle has been charged with multiple cases of murder, torture, and for being a Death Eater. Late yesterday morning, Sanaro was escorted to Azkaban prison, guarded by a dozen Aurors, and placed in a high security cell. Never has Azkaban prison seen such security._

_Damian Riddle, however, has been freed of all charges. Shortly before his trial, noon yesterday, current Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Albus Dumbledore, discovered that his student was under the Imperious Curse, cast by his father, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Upon seeing this, Dumbledore broke the spell, which has resulted in Damian regaining control of his actions and mind, but resulted in him losing a years' worth of memories. Once more Damian is attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, under the watchful eye and protection of his Headmaster. _

'_I will do everything in my power to keep Damian safe and away from his father,' Dumbledore stated that afternoon as he led the shaken Damian out of the Ministry of Magic. 'We do not want a repeat of what happened this past year, nor do we want another Sanaro Riddle running around.'_

_For more details, see page 3…_

'What a load of rubbish!' Draco said loudly when he finished reading the article. 'Dumbledore's the real criminal here, yet Sanaro's the one rotting away in Azkaban, and now he'd got Damian under some sort of spell! I bet he's happy to get his pawn back.'

'I don't believe Dumbledore has put him under a spell,' Hermione stated.

'Oh really?' Daphne said with a bitter laugh. 'They why is he all over _her_ again?'

'Unlike the vast majority of people, Dumbledore knows Damian can't be controlled through the Imperious Curse –'

'There is more than one way to control someone through magic,' Blaise said pointedly.

'Let me finish. In the article it says that Damian has lost a years' worth of memories,' Hermione explained calmly. 'Damian's last memories would have probably ended with Voldemort capturing him. In his mind, Dumbledore can still be trusted and Ron and Ginny never betrayed him. I bet you anything that Dumbledore himself erased Damian's memories when he visited him.'

'That's even worse!' Neville exclaimed. 'At least when he was under that love spell we could break it, now we've got no hope of helping him.'

'That's not true,' Luna disagreed. 'While the memories may have been erased on a conscious level, subconsciously they might still exist. It's just like amnesia. Sometimes a person is able to regain their memories, other times they can't. The same thing is possible with Damian.'

'That's not reassuring,' Tracey muttered. 'Do you realise how challenging it will be to even get him alone, let alone get him to remember, if it's even possible?'

'Tracey's right,' Hermione said thoughtfully. 'Dumbledore's no Gilderoy Lockhart. His Memory Charm will be much more powerful and it would have been done properly.'

'It doesn't matter who put the charm on him, or how challenging it will be to save him; we just have to do it!' Daphne said fiercely. 'We're his friends. We have no choice.'

'None of us were saying we weren't going to help him,' Draco informed her patiently. 'We're merely stating the obvious and wrapping our heads around it.'

'While trying not to be sick,' Tracey grumbled as Ginny purposely hung onto the confused and uncomfortable Damian, while constantly looking at Daphne. There was no doubt in their minds that she was only doing this to make Daphne jealous and to hurt her. It was working.

'Excuse me,' said Daphne, before leaving the Hall with her head held high. She was too proud to let them see her cry.

**-THE EXPOSED TRUTH-**

The following days were extremely painful on Damian's true friends. When they tried to talk to him, he wouldn't listen to a word they had to say. He told them that he knew they were all working for Voldemort and he wasn't stupid enough to trust them. He was especially harsh to Neville, Luna and Hermione. That was how they learnt of the lies Dumbledore had told him. This left Hermione in tears, Luna and Neville hurt, and Daphne spent the rest of the day crying in her dormitory with Astoria for comfort. Damian was cruel to her due to the lies Ginny had told him about her being after his power, fame and money as the key topics. However, little did anyone know, Damian felt very guilty afterwards. He had seen the pain in Daphne's eyes and it confused him. If what Ginny said to be true, why did his words hurt her? Was she really that good of an actor?

Before Damian knew it, the night of the formal arrived and he felt sick.

'I'm seriously considering not going,' Damian informed Ron, who was straightening his dress robes. 'It's just going to be the Yule Ball all over again.'

'Only this time you're going with my sister,' Ron said pointedly, 'and she's really looking forward to it. Think of this as a way to make it up to her for the pain you caused her.'

'I hate it when you use my guilt against me,' Damian grumbled as he watched Neville storm out of the dormitory.

'You make it too easy.'

'What's that supposed to mean?'

'Nothing. Come on. Can't keep my sister waiting.'

Not for the first time, Damian got the feeling that something wasn't right, but, as usual, he passed it off to the horrible things he had done. He guessed they were too horrible to forget that easily.

Down in the common room, Damian found Ginny wearing a strapless, royal blue cocktail dress that had a large bow at the back with the bottom reminding Damian of an umbrella. Her hair was styled so the mid-lengths of hair were styled into tight waves, which draped over her left shoulder, while the top front of her hair was swept down. She looked beautiful and he could tell that she knew it. It was a flaw he found most unattractive. Nevertheless he smiled and told her she looked beautiful.

'Flatterer,' she said, trying to hide how pleased she was with his comment. 'Shall we?'

'Might as well,' Damian sighed, offering her his arm as they walked down to the Great Hall.

The House-elves had gone all out to mark this special occasion. The hall was decorated with fancy banners of the four houses and the four house tables were gone, replaced with smaller circular tables. The teacher's table still remained.

Damian did his best to have a good time, for Ginny's sake, but he couldn't. He couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.

Dinner was eventually severed the same way it was during the Yule Ball, where everyone looked at their menus, then told their plates what they wanted.

With dinner complete, many took to the dance floor. Unfortunately, Ginny made sure she and Damian were one of the many couples. Damian hated dancing and not just because he was horrible at it. On the bright side, he never stepped on Ginny's toes.

As the formal's end crept closer, Dumbledore interrupted everyone to announce the class favourite's awards. Hermione was awarded the _Most Likely to Succeed_, while Daphne and Damian were voted _Cutest Couple_. This was rather awkward and painful, but it only got worse when they were voted King and Queen. It was suddenly clear that it was only a selected few who had truly turned against Damian.

'As is tradition, the King and Queen are the ones who end the formal with a dance,' Dumbledore announced, containing his displeasure at the current turn of events.

'Told you I shouldn't have come,' Damian grumbled to Ron as he went to the middle of the dance floor to meet Daphne. He was only grateful that he didn't have to wear a silly crown.

When Damian caught sight of Daphne, he couldn't help but gasp at her beauty and couldn't help but feel attracted to her. She was wearing an elegant, floor length, sea mist, strapless formal dress with a front slit and flower trim. Her long hair was wavy and pinned back with silver flower clips. Her makeup was just right. Clearly she understood that makeup was meant to enhance natural beauty, not to make one's self look like a clown as some girls thought.

As they got closer together, Daphne forced herself to look Damian directly in the eyes. Damian immediately fell in love with her gorgeous hazel eyes that were really brought out by her light browny-pink eye shadow. However, as it was whenever he saw her these says, her eyes were full of pain and sadness.

As the music began, Damian hesitantly took his ex's waist and awkwardly led her in a dance. He spent the entire dance making sure he didn't muck up the steps or step on her feet, but Daphne didn't seem to notice. She had her eyes downcast thinking of how this was supposed to be a special moment for them, but now it was completely ruined. She wasn't even going to come tonight, but her friends had talked her into coming. She wished they hadn't. If she hadn't have come, she wouldn't be feeling as hurt now.

The moment the music stopped, Damian stepped away from Daphne and returned to Ginny, feeling more confused than ever.

'What's wrong, mate?' Ron questioned when he noticed Damian wasn't happy as they got ready for bed.

'I think you and Ginny are wrong about Greengrass,' Damian stated. 'I think she truly loves me. I mean, she's always so sad and looks hurt.'

'She's merely a good actress,' Ron answered impatiently. 'She doesn't even possess a heart. She's too cold to have one.'

'Hark who's talking!' Neville snapped from his bed. 'If anyone can't feel love it's you! Your relationship with Brown was proof of that, not to mention the way you treat your so called friends.'

'Stay out of this, Longbottom!' Ron growled warningly. 'No one asked for your opinion!'

'Forgive me,' Neville said mockingly. Ever since he started hanging out with Damian and the other Slytherins, his confidence had grown. 'I'm not going to sit here idly as you feed Damian lies!'

'I'm not the one lying to him!' Ron stated.

'Bollocks! You've been lying to him from the beginning and now you're lying about Daphne!' Neville turned to Damian. 'Daphne really loves you Damian. She loves you that much it hurts her terribly to see you like this. Just remember that when you're waiting hand and foot on your suppositive beloved girlfriend.'

Neville then closed the curtains around his bed, leaving Damian even more perplexed and with more questions.

* * *

**A/N:** A picture of Daphne's dress is on facebook.

**Azaelia Silmarwen Facebook page:** link on profile  
**Written:** 10 May 2014  
**Updated:** N/A**  
Beta:** BETA WANTED

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT CLAIM OWNERSHIP OVER THE ORIGINAL COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL IN THIS STORY. THIS IS A NON-PROFIT FANDUB CREATED BY FANS, FOR FANS. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED, FAIR USE ONLY.**


	15. Memories

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN: MEMORIES**

Damian got no sleep after the formal. Fortunately, there were no classes for those who attended the formal the next day. Damian was grateful for this as he found it difficult to concentrate on everything other than the constant wondering of what he couldn't remember. That was when he came up with a solution to help him remember. For it to work, he needed to talk to Dumbledore. So, just before lunch, he went to see the Headmaster.

'Damian… what a pleasant surprise,' Dumbledore greeted as Damian entered his office. 'What can I do for you?'

'I thought of a way to help me regain my memories,' Damian informed him. 'All I need is your Pensieve and memories of the past year from you and my friends.'

Dumbledore didn't answer straight away, but when he did, it wasn't with the answer Damian expected.

'I cannot do that, Damian,' he answered calmly.

'What? Why not?' Damian couldn't help but feel disappointed and angry.

'It's too dangerous.'

'How is it dangerous?' Damian demanded. 'It's no different to looking at photos or Muggle home videos.'

'Damian –'

'No, it's okay, Professor,' Damian interrupted as he marched to the exit. 'Forget I said anything.'

Despite what Dumbledore had said, Damian was still determined to see what he had forgotten, so he went to talk to Ron and Ginny.

'Where have you been?' Ginny demanded.

'I was talking to Dumbledore about regaining my memories,' Damian answered, taken back by her coldness. 'I thought of a great way to help me remember, but he won't help me, so I need your help. I need to see your memories of our times together.'

'Damian, believe me, it's better you don't remember what you've forgotten,' Ron said bluntly.

'Isn't that for me to decide?' Damian argued.

'Not when we remember and you don't,' said Ginny. 'Besides, if Dumbledore won't help you then there has to be a good reason why you shouldn't remember.'

'You two are supposed to be my best friend and girlfriend!' Damian said angrily. 'Don't you even care that not knowing is driving me insane?'

They didn't answer.

'Thanks for the support,' Damian said sarcastically as he stormed off.

He couldn't understand why they wouldn't help him. Surely they would want to respect his wishes. What he did couldn't have been that bad when he was around them. It was beginning to make him think that there was something specific they didn't want him to remember. It was making him suspicious and begin to question their side of the story.

_Maybe they are the ones who are actually lying to me,_ Damian thought as he shimmed a pebble across the lake. _Maybe Neville and the others were telling the truth the entire time._

'Are you alright, Damian?' a quiet voice asked behind him, interrupting him from his thoughts.

Turning around he found Draco standing there.

'I'd feel better if I could remember the past year,' Damian answered truthfully.

'I can't imagine how frustrated you must be,' said Draco. 'Maybe this will help you remember.'

Draco handed him a familiar red leather photo album. It was Damian's photo album.

'I've been looking all over for this,' said Damian.

'I found it under my bed this morning,' Draco explained. 'Listen, Damian. I don't know what lies Dumbledore told you about me and the others, but just know we're here if you need us.'

Draco turned to leave, but Damian stopped him after the slightest hesitation.

'Malfoy, wait.'

Draco turned to face him.

'I do need your help,' Damian admitted. 'I need to see your memories of the past year where we've spent time together. No one else will help me.'

'That's not surprising,' said Draco. 'Meet me at the Room of Requirements tonight and I'll have the memories you need.'

'You wouldn't happen to have a Pensieve too, would you?'

'No, but if you tell the Room you need somewhere to view the memories it should give you one,' Draco answered.

That night, Damian and Draco met up outside the Room of Requirements.

'Here you go,' Draco said handing Damian a bag full of vials containing different memories. 'These memories belong to me as well as Hermione, Neville, Luna, Tracey and Daphne. They also belong to Lily, Sirius, my mother, Sanaro and your father.' Sanaro has been freed three days after his imprisonment.

Damian was surprised by this. He thought he'd only be getting Draco's memories, but to get everyone else's too… he was touched, especially when his own girlfriend wouldn't help him.

'Thank you,' he said gratefully.

Draco shrugged dismissingly.

'Don't be. I haven't done anything special. Even though you don't remember, you're still my best friend.'

Draco then walked away to leave Damian to it.

Heart pounding painfully in his chest, Damian walked three times passed the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy attempting to teach trolls ballet thinking, _I need somewhere I can view these memories, I need somewhere I can view these memories, I need somewhere I can view these memories._

Unsurprisingly, the Room of Requirements' door appeared. Damian pushed the door open and walked into an eerie blue room containing a large Pensieve on a stand in the middle of the room. Close by was a small table upon which Damian placed the vials. He noticed that Draco has labelled them in chronological order.

Damian picked up the vial labelled _No. 1_ and poured its contents into the Pensieve. He then proceeded to view the memories.

Damian was standing in the room Sanaro had thrown him in after Voldemort's questioning. He was on the floor, looking pale and asleep before the door was thrown open to reveal a furious Voldemort and a calm Sanaro. Damian took a step back, despite being invisible.

'He didn't take Potter with him,' Sanaro muttered thoughtfully, entering the room and calmly walking over to Damian, who weakly tried to move away.

'Clearly he doesn't care for the boy as much as we thought,' Sanaro continued, kneeling down next to Damian and looking at him thoughtfully.

'Maybe,' Voldemort muttered bitterly.

'Maybe? What other reason could there be?'

'Maybe he didn't want to risk being captured again? Maybe he thought it would be best if he escaped and then came back with his Order to save the boy? Or maybe he couldn't risk taking the boy because of how weak he is?'

'I doubt he even came near the boy,' Sanaro said, turning to face his father. 'I don't think Potter even knows what we are talking about, though he may have guessed. No. He just left the boy for dead. If he did care, he wouldn't have left without him.'

Damian moved uncomfortably. What they were saying had been playing at his thoughts for a while since losing his memories.

'Dumbledore's gone?' Damian asked quietly.

'Obviously,' Voldemort growled.

Damian looked down at the floor.

'What do we do now?' Sanaro asked his father.

'I doubt Dumbledore will come back for the boy,' Voldemort muttered, staring down at Damian's vulnerable figure, 'but that doesn't mean that he won't return to this place with the Order. We'll go to one of our other hideouts and figure out our next move there.'

'What about Potter?'

'Just give him to Nagini.' Voldemort shrugged. 'I have no more use for him.'

'Father, he's only a boy,' Sanaro said quietly. 'He is powerful too. You saw him yesterday. He was being tortured and never begged once. Not a single one of your Death Eaters would be able to do that. It is clear that he has been manipulated by Dumbledore. Why not give him a chance to join us?'

Voldemort looked down at Harry again, who was staring at Sanaro.

'Fine,' Voldemort said eventually, attempting to sound indifferent. 'But he is your responsibility. I will not be babysitting him.'

'And what am I supposed to do when I'm on missions?' Sanaro questioned. 'If I take him with me, Dumbledore will see through my spy disguise at once!'

'Then Nagini can look after him.'

'Nagini? Father, if we let her babysit, we might as well give Potter to her now for breakfast!'

'Then what do you expect me to do with him?'

'I'm sure Narcissa Malfoy could look after him.'

'Absolutely not! The last time I trusted a Malfoy with something valuable, it ended up being destroyed!'

'You are unfairly judging her based on Lucius' actions,' Sanaro stated. 'Hasn't Draco proven that you can trust the Malfoys? Did he not help your Death Eaters into Hogwarts? Just give them a chance to redeem themselves.'

Voldemort didn't answer; instead he stormed out of the room, yelling out orders.

'I'll take that as a yes,' Sanaro muttered, absently pulling Damian to his feet.

With the memory finished. Damian moved onto the next, and then the next. Each memory shocked and surprised Damian. He was surprised by how close he had grown to Sanaro and how civil he was with Voldemort. He was surprised to see how close he had become with the four Slytherins and hurt to see how Ron and Ginny had treated him. Neville was right; they had been lying to him all this time, taking advantage of his condition.

Then he came to the last vial, which had a note attached to it.

_Damian,  
This vial does not include you, but it is important for you to see how your father reacted to you capture.  
Mrs Malfoy_

Frowning curiously, Damian viewed the memories.

He was standing in the room at Malfoy Manor where Voldemort had given him and Draco their mission to assassinate Dumbledore. Voldemort, Lucius and Narcissa were the only occupants.

'What is it?' Voldemort asked the Malfoys tiredly. Damian had never seen him so tired before. 'My time in Paris has worn me out, so make it quick.'

'It is Sanaro and Damian, my Lord,' Lucius answered quietly and warily. 'I'm afraid Sanaro is in Azkaban, while Damian is at Dumbledore's mercy.'

Damian watched as Voldemort's tiredness seemingly vanished as it was replaced with fear and worry. Voldemort looked like an average father beyond concerned about his sons.

'What?' he gasped.

Lucius mutely handed him a handful of articles.

'I have already started assembling a team of Death Eaters to free Sanaro,' Lucius informed his Master, who was reading the news articles. 'As for Damian, I don't know how we can free him. His friends are watching over him, but that's all we can do. Dumbledore won't let him go so easily.'

Voldemort dropped the newspaper articles and slumped back into his throne-like chair.

'I've lost him again,' he whispered in despair.

'There is still hope, my Lord,' said Narcissa. She felt for the Dark Lord. 'He found his way back to you last time. There's a chance he'll do so again.'

Damian was shaking as he came back to the Room of Requirements. All this time his father had truly loved him. He wasn't as evil as he made everyone think. He truly cared about him.

Wiping tears away from his face, Damian left the room and headed back to the Gryffindor common room, which was still lively.

Damian stopped and looked around for Neville, who he found sitting by himself, reading a book on plants. He went straight over to him.

'May I join you?' he asked.

'Of course,' Neville answered, closing him book. 'Did you see the memories?'

'I did,' replied Damian, 'and I'm so sorry for the way I treated you and the others. You were right all along.'

'Don't apologise. You didn't know. I would have acted the same way if I were in your shoes.'

'Still friends?'

'Definitely.' Neville smiled broadly at Damian. It was good to have his friend back.

Neville's smile soon disappeared, however, when Ron and Ginny stormed over to him.

'Damian, what are you doing with Longbottom?' Ginny asked sharply.

'Talking, what does it look like?' Damian replied sardonically.

'Why would you want to hang out with someone who lies to you?' Ron questioned.

'Good point.'

Damian casually got to his feet before punching Ron in the nose, hard. He ended up knocking Ron to the ground.

'What the bloody hell was that for?' Ron yelled as his nose began to bleed. The common room went silent to watch.

'Why do you think?' Damian shouted. 'Did you honestly think I wouldn't notice how you've been treating me? Did you think I wouldn't figure out you've been lying to me? Unlike you, Neville and the others gave me their memories, but at least I now know why you and Dumbledore wouldn't help me. Let me guess, he Obliviated me so he could continue to manipulate me and have me fight against my father who truly cares about me. But what's in it for you? Riches? Fame? You betrayed and used me for something so trivial? You're pathetic and if you have any brains in that thick skull of yours, you'll stay away from me!'

Damian turned to the fuming Ginny.

'If you ever try to trick me into loving you again, I will make your life a living hell,' he told her coldly. 'Obviously it's over, because this "son of a monster" wants nothing more to do with you. It would be wise if you stayed away from me too. Now why don't you be good minions and go and give Dumbledore a message from me. Tell him that I'll never be his pawn ever again and he can go to hell! You can also tell him to watch his back.'

With a jerk of his head, Damian sent Ron and Ginny hurrying for Dumbledore's office.

'So you remember everything?' Neville questioned as they left the common room full of muttering Gryffindors. They were heading for their dormitory.

'Honestly, I remember nothing,' replied Damian. 'It's still a black hole. None of the memories I saw were familiar. I felt like I was a stranger watching them, despite being in them myself. The only good that came from them is that I now know who I can trust and I'm no longer Dumbledore's pawn.'

'How did you know our memories were real, though? We could have faked or altered them.'

'I've seen an altered memory before so I knew you hadn't done that,' Damian answered as he packed his belongings into his truck. 'And the Weasleys' reactions showed they were real too. They didn't even bother to deny what I said.'

'What are you going to do now?' asked Neville.

'I'm leaving Hogwarts and Apparating to Malfoy Manor,' Damian answered. 'I have my invisibility cloak so I'll be able to sneak through the castle to the secret passage leading to Honeydukes. I just wished I knew where my Marauder's Map was.'

'Dumbledore probably has it, so be careful.'

'I will,' replied Damian, shrinking his belongings and putting them into his pocket. 'See you later.' He then disappeared under his invisibility cloak.

Damian hurried as quietly as he could through the deserted corridors towards the One-Eyed Witch Passage. He was almost there when something caught him around the ankles causing him to fall to the ground.

'Trying to escape without saying goodbye, were we, Riddle?' Moody said, stepping out of the shadows.

Damian went for his wand, but Moody was faster. He took both Damian's wand and invisibility cloak.

'It is fortunate Alastor was visiting tonight,' Dumbledore remarked as he made his presence known. 'You might have escaped me again if he wasn't. No Sanaro around to save you now.'

'So what are you going to do now?' asked Damian. 'Kill me?'

'Why would I do that when you are still useful? You told Mr and Miss Weasley that Voldemort cared for you. That shall be his undoing when he sacrifices himself for his youngest son.'

Dumbledore and Moody ended up taking Damian to Grimmauld Place and locking him in a tiny room, which looked like a broom cupboard. Damian figured Dumbledore was trying to be funny. He knew that Dumbledore had to know about where the Dursleys made him sleep before Hogwarts.

Damian didn't known how long he sat in the dark cupboard, but he was almost grateful when the door opened. Remus and Tonks stood there.

'It's time,' Remus said quietly. 'Your father's meeting us at an abandoned field where you'll be released to his Death Eaters, while he will take your place.'

'What will happen to him when he does?' Damian questioned.

'He'll most likely be put to death,' Tonks answered sympathetically. 'He's too dangerous to be kept alive.'

'What if I refuse to go through with it?'

'You don't have a choice. You are nothing more than a bargaining chip.'

Damian looked down sadly. This was all his fault. He shouldn't have let on that he knew the truth. He allowed his anger to get the best of him.

Remus sighed sadly as he lightly bounded Damian's hands, before Apparating him away with Tonks.

They ended up standing in an overgrown field. Voldemort and Sanaro stood there with two hooded figures. Dumbledore, Moody and Shacklebolt were also there.

'Damian,' breathed the relieved Voldemort.

'Er… Father,' Damian greeted hesitantly.

Voldemort seemed touched by the use of his parenting title.

'As per our deal, Tom,' Dumbledore stated with a triumphant smile. 'The freedom of your youngest son for your surrender. Step forward and surrender your wand.'

Voldemort was about to do so when one of the hooded figures lightly touched his shoulder. He looked at the figure, who turned out to be Lily. Sirius then removed his hood.

'Sirius? Lily?' the Order gasped.

'Something wrong, Dumbledore?' Sirius questioned with fake innocence. 'Let me guess, you thought that my cousin had killed me. Hate to burst your bubble, but I overheard you talking with Moody about removing me from the equation. Next time, when you're planning someone's murder, don't do it in the said person's kitchen.'

'You were planning to have Sirius murdered!' Tonks turned on Dumbledore looking very upset, as did Remus.

'Clearly we should have done it sooner,' Moody grumbled. 'We were hoping you'd rot in Azkaban.'

'Why?' Remus demanded. 'What did you have to gain? Sirius has been nothing but loyal to the Order!'

'Yet he's now a Death Eater,' Dumbledore remarked.

'Only because you betrayed me!' Sirius snapped.

'Dumbledore's not who you think he is,' Lily informed Remus and Tonks. 'Once you've out lived you usefulness, he'll dispose of you too. Isn't that right, _Professor?_'

'I see your old friendship with Sanaro still exists,' Dumbledore remarked disapprovingly.

'We're more than friends,' Lily informed him as she moved away from the other's slightly, drawing the Order's eyes with her. 'We're engaged to be married. I would invite you, but I can't have you arresting my future husband. Then there's my father-in-law's opinion of you. We can't have any deaths at the wedding.'

'I'm surprised you are even being welcomed into the family,' Dumbledore remarked, 'being a Muggle-born and all.'

'You should know better than everyone that no one can resist my charming nature,' replied Lily. 'Even now my charm has distracted you long enough to get Damian away from you.'

Dumbledore turned sharply and saw that Remus, Tonks and Damian were standing behind Voldemort. Damian was smiling as Voldemort held him tightly. His scar wasn't hurting for Voldemort beared him no ill-will.

Moody cursed himself for not keeping an eye on the prisoners.

'So much for constant vigilance.' Sanaro looked amused.

'Our business here is done,' Voldemort declared. 'You will pay for what you have done to my sons!'

'We shall see,' was all Dumbledore said before he, Moody, and Shacklebolt Apparated away.

'Coward,' Voldemort growled, before going over to talk to Remus and Tonks. Meanwhile, Sanaro went and embraced Damian.

'Thank goodness you're alright,' he said. 'We were afraid we had lost you again. Did he hurt you when you were arrested?'

'I don't know,' Damian said honestly. 'I have no memory of the past year. The only reason I know I can trust you is because of the memories I viewed.'

'You remember nothing,' Lily said sadly.

'Unfortunately no. Hopefully one day I will remember, but until then, I have the chance to get to know you all over again.'

'Oh Damian,' Lily said, hugging him and kissing his cheek.

Damian smiled at her before turning to face Voldemort.

'What do we do now?' he asked seriously.

'Dumbledore has hurt this family for the last time,' Voldemort answered. 'It's time we settle this once and for all.'

* * *

**Azaelia Silmarwen Facebook page:** link on profile  
**Written:** 10 May 2014  
**Updated:** N/A**  
Beta:** BETA WANTED

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT CLAIM OWNERSHIP OVER THE ORIGINAL COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL IN THIS STORY. THIS IS A NON-PROFIT FANDUB CREATED BY FANS, FOR FANS. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED, FAIR USE ONLY.**


	16. The Final Battle

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN: THE FINAL BATTLE**

It did not take long for Voldemort to assemble all of his Death Eaters. One touch of the Dark Mark on Lucius' arm and they practically came running. It took about an hour for all of the Death Eaters to assemble. As they were assembling, Voldemort tried to undo the damage Dumbledore had done to Damian's memories, to no prevail. If possible, the memories would have to return on their own.

With the Death Eaters all assembled, Voldemort spent the next two hours debriefing them on their attack on Hogwarts. He managed to keep everyone's attention when he spoke; allowing interruptions only if someone needed something clarified or saw a flaw in the plan. When he finished his debrief, he ordered his Death Eater's to assemble just before the borders of Hogwarts. He then turned to his sons.

'I want you two to behave while I'm gone,' he said sternly.

'What's that supposed to mean?' Damian demanded.

'Father, you can't protect us forever,' Sanaro stated impatiently. 'We're not kids anymore.'

'We are going into war, Sanaro! I will not risk –'

'That is for us to decide.'

'And you'll need our help,' Damian added. 'You may have the numbers, but not all of your Death Eaters are great wizards. Some can easily be overthrown by teenagers.'

'If anything happens to either of you –'

'We won't leave you, Father,' Sanaro said gently. 'You won't lose us like you did Mother. This time it will be Dumbledore leaving this world.'

Voldemort looked between his boys and sighed.

'Why did you have to be as stubborn as me?' he groaned. 'Fine. I just hope I won't regret this. Just don't do anything stupid!'

Minutes later, Voldemort and his army stood a short distance away from Hogwarts' borders and saw that a blue barrier had been placed over the castle. Voldemort, Sanaro and Damian stood at the front of the army. All of them were dressed in black.

'They must have known we were coming,' Sanaro remarked.

'Father did threaten Dumbledore,' Damian commented. 'He obviously took it seriously. That or he has a spy in our mists.'

'Why doesn't the latter of the two surprise me?' Voldemort muttered. 'And I don't know why he bothered with something so trivial? I swear he just does these things to annoy me.'

'Knowing Dumbledore, he probably does,' Sanaro agreed.

Voldemort motioned for his Death Eaters to destroy the protective barrier.

'This seems almost too easy,' Lily commented as she joined the trio.

'Indeed,' Voldemort agreed. 'Dumbledore's probably trying to lead us into a false sense of invincibility and make us overconfident, but he'll find it won't work.'

Ten minutes later, the barrier was down and the Death Eaters ran down to the castle and began to fight the now animate Hogwarts statues, staff members, seventh year students, the DA, and Order of the Phoenix. At least those who weren't hindered by the booby traps, like Devil's Snare, fought.

At first the Riddles, Lily and Sirius merely waited for the Death Eaters to take care of a good amount of enemies, before they too joined in the fight, searching for Dumbledore. Sanaro and Damian had had new wands made for them.

They all ended up going separate ways with Damian heading for Dumbledore's office.

As he ran through the corridors, attacking anyone who dared attack him, Damian got the feeling he was being followed. He turned just in time to avoid an attack from behind. Standing before him was Ginny, Ron, Finnigan, Thomas, Parvati Patil, and Brown.

'I thought I warned you to stay away from me!' Damian growled.

'You're not in the position to make threats,' Ron informed him. 'You're outnumbered and now we're going to make sure you're looked away forever.'

'Not if we have anything to say about it!' Daphne yelled as she, Tracey, Hermione, Luna, Neville, Draco and Blaise appeared around Damian.

'If you want Damian, you'll have to go through us first,' Draco informed them.

'Don't make us laugh!' Ginny spat, before attacking Daphne.

Meanwhile, Draco took on Ron, Neville fought Finnigan, Blaise against Thomas, Tracey took on Patil, and Hermione duelled Brown.

'Luna, take Damian and get him out of here!' Draco ordered. 'We'll be fine.'

'Be careful,' Luna said as she took off with Damian in search of Dumbledore.

They eventually ended up finding him in the Great Hall fighting Voldemort. No one in the Hall was fighting for they were too busy watching the amazing, yet terrifying, duel that was taking place. It was not often wizards got to witness a duel between the two most powerful wizards of the century. It also was due to their need to avoid stray spells.

However, Voldemort's and Dumbledore's duel didn't hold Damian's attention for long. His attention was drawn to Sanaro, who was unconscious with his head in Lily's lap. He had blood pouring down his face. Around them were Lucius, Narcissa, Bellatrix and Sirius. They had been protecting the couple.

For an hour Voldemort and Dumbledore duelled and by the end Voldemort began to tire. Ever since his tiring journey to Paris, Voldemort had gotten next to no sleep as he worried over his sons' well-beings. This made him weaker than Dumbledore, who had no trouble sleeping. As a result, Dumbledore was able to get the exhausted Voldemort to his knees as his wand flew into Dumbledore's hand.

'Father!' Damian cried as panic coursed through him. He immediately went and protectively stood in front of Voldemort.

'Stand aside, Damian, or else!' Dumbledore said warningly.

'Do as he says, Damian,' Voldemort said urgently. 'Do not sacrifice yourself for me.'

Damian ignored him.

'I will not let you kill my father!' Damian informed Dumbledore.

'I wasn't going to,' replied Dumbledore. 'I was merely going to arrest him –'

'Then kill him when you no longer have an audience,' Damian interrupted. 'Wouldn't want to ruin that grandfatherly act you've taken years to prefect, would we? Wouldn't want everyone here to see you for who you truly are; ugly, cold and bitter.'

'Damian –'

'I'm not finished. I want everyone to see your true colours so they are no longer fooled, blinded, used and manipulated like I was. I want them to see the man who murdered my mother and kidnapped me, convincing my father and brother that I was dead. I want them to see the sicko who created a fake prophecy… yes, I know the prophecy is fake. Neither Neville or I are enemies with my father and we're the only two people who fit the criteria –'

Damian abruptly cut off and tackled Voldemort out of the way as Dumbledore sent the Killing Curse at them. Damian had finally tested his patience. The Slytherin heir also got his wish of those present seeing Dumbledore's true colours.

'I though you said you weren't going to kill anyone?' Damian said mockingly. 'Grandfathers don't kill.'

'For an annoying, meddling brat like you, I can make an exception!' Dumbledore snapped. 'But will you make the same exception for me? I know you want me dead, but you don't have the heart to do it yourself. You are weak.'

'Sparing someone's life isn't weakness,' McGonagall commented, looking sickened by Dumbledore's behaviour. 'It's a sign of strength.'

'A simple minded view,' Dumbledore snared, preparing to kill Damian, but the incantation froze on his lips as he was hit from behind by the Killing Curse. Sanaro had managed to regain consciousness and managed to rise to his feet.

'No one attacks my brother,' he said weakly, leaning on Lily for support.

That was how the main battle ended. Most people who had supported Dumbledore surrendered, not wanting to follow the views of a crazy old man. However, those who were truly loyal to Dumbledore continued to fight. They would not give in so easily.

As they fought and word spread to the rest of the school of Dumbledore's demise, Damian helped his father over to Sanaro.

'Don't you ever scare me like that again!' Voldemort scolded Sanaro, holding him tightly. He then turned to Damian. 'The same goes for you, young man! Do you understand?'

'I do,' replied Damian.

With the battle over, Damian left his family and went in search for his friends. He found them all sitting quietly together in the remainders of the destroyed library. All of them were sporting some sort of minor injury and were filthy, not to mention tired, yet happy.

'May I join you?' asked Damian.

'Of course you can,' said Tracey. 'I'm so happy to see that you're alright.'

'We all are,' said Blaise, grinning up at him.

'Before anything else is said –'

'Here it comes,' said Neville, with a knowing smile.

'As was expected,' Hermione added.

'Huh?'

'Neville told us all about the results of the memory viewing,' Draco explained. 'There is no need to apologise.'

Damian smiled at his friends, even if he couldn't remember being friends with most of them.

For an hour they sat there talking, before they decided to get some sleep. As Daphne went to follow the other Slytherins to their dormitories, Damian stopped her.

'I know that me not remembering what we had is hard on you, but I was wondering if you'd give me the chance and honour of falling in love with you all over again?' he asked her hopefully.

Daphne's eyes filled with tears of joy as she nodded her head.

'Yes… yes, I will!' she cried, leaping into Damian's arms and holding him tightly.

Damian smiled. It was now that Damian knew that everything would be alright and he was right.

Nineteen years later, after taking care of numerous rebellions, with the help of his sons', Voldemort achieved his goal of controlling the wizarding world, which wasn't as bad as everyone thought it would be. True there were stricter laws, but they were liveable.

Voldemort eventually was talked into letting Muggle-borns be, but that might have only been to get his boys, Hermione and Lily off his case. He never confirmed if his views on Muggle-borns had changed. Sanaro, however, knew that they hadn't. He was merely tolerating them because he knew that the moment he eventually died, his boys would undo all of his hard work. He ended up putting Lily and Hermione in charge of all Muggle-born issues, stating he didn't want to know.

As for Muggles, he wasn't as tolerant, but he grudgingly was talked into letting them be too. He did, however, make it possible that abusive guardians of children with magic were charged and severely punished. He even paid a visit to the Dursleys with Lily. The Dursleys were beyond petrified, not that Lily hurt Petunia and Dudley as they were family. Voldemort was a different story all together and he made them pay for what they did to Damian.

Lily and Sanaro ended up marrying in the winter after the battle at Hogwarts. It was a small wedding of close friends and family. Seeing as Lily's father had passed away, Remus walked Lily down the aisle as he was like a brother to her. Sirius was one of Sanaro's groomsmen while Damian was the Best Man. They eventually ended up having two children, a boy and a girl, whom they named Aden and Flora.

Hermione and Blaise also ended up settling down together and they too had two children. They ended up having two girls they named Rose and Maddie. However, despite being twins, they were complete opposites. They weren't like the Weasley twins.

Draco and Astoria married too, which enabled Daphne to say to Draco, "I told you it would work." She ended up being Astoria's Maid of Honour, while Damian was Draco's Best Man. Unlike their friends, the couple decided they would be happy with only one child, a boy named Scorpius. They were right too. Their son bought them much joy and love.

Then there was Damian and Daphne. Sadly, Damian never regained his missing memories, but that didn't end up mattering for he was able to fall in love with her again. They ended up having three children, even though they only wanted two. Their first born was a boy, Caleb, before they tried two years later for another child only to receive twin girls, Charmaine and Trista. Just like with Flora, Voldemort secretly had a soft for his granddaughters.

**The End**

* * *

**Azaelia Silmarwen Facebook page:** link on profile  
**Written:** 10 May 2014  
**Updated:** N/A**  
Beta:** BETA WANTED

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT CLAIM OWNERSHIP OVER THE ORIGINAL COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL IN THIS STORY. THIS IS A NON-PROFIT FANDUB CREATED BY FANS, FOR FANS. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED, FAIR USE ONLY.**


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